Pakistan's chances of reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup are on a knife edge after their eight-wicket loss to Afghanistan.

Babar Azam said that he is not under pressure when it comes to leading Pakistan. On Monday, October 23, Babar became his country's first captain to lose an ODI against Afghanistan after suffering an eight-wicket defeat in the 2023 World Cup match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

After Pakistan's shocking defeat against Afghanistan on Monday, Azam said that he always tries to give his best on the field.

“As far as captaincy is concerned, there is not much pressure on me or my batting ability. I always try to give my best when batting, my 100%. How I should score runs for the team.”

Azam also said that his team, which has lost three out of five matches during the ongoing ICC World Cup in India, has not been able to sustain in all areas of the game.

“We can’t click in all departments at the same time,” Babar said. “If we do well in bowling, we don’t do well in batting. If we are good at batting, we are not so good at fielding.”

“When it comes to fielding, the most important thing is your attitude. And I don't see any attitude from the team. You have to put in extra effort and be fit. You should concentrate on the ball, not on other thoughts, and when the ball comes to you, then on yourself. As a field player you have to be proactive. I think that's what we're lacking a little bit as a fielding unit.

The defeat leaves Pakistan in the middle of the table with four points and a net run rate of -0.400. Babar, 29, said the Men in Green still had a good chance of turning their fortunes around in the tournament.

"You never know. It's cricket. Anything can happen. We will try to play our best cricket until the end. There are a lot of games left, we will try to win all the games. We will try to overcome our mistakes “, he explained.

Babar also said that Pakistan badly missed Naseem Shah, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to a shoulder injury. The captain, meanwhile, said that it is necessary to perform equally in all three departments to win a game.

“We miss Naseem very much. But other than that, our bowling line-up is one of the best. But I think we can't click. Sometimes we are good at bowling but not at batting. If we do well in batting, we don't do well in fielding,” Babar added.