Rauf and his teammates have been on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism from fans on social media following their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The early exit is a bitter disappointment though for Pakistan, who were beaten finalists in the tournament two years ago.

Knowing defeat would condemn them to a shock first round exit, Rizwan and Babar put on a match-winning second-wicket partnership of 63 as Pakistan reached their target of 107 with 15 balls to spare.

Although both countries are cricket powerhouses, head-to-head matches are rare between the nations.

Overall the team didn’t adjust to the conditions at the Grand Prairie Stadium, according to the Pakistan skipper.

While much of Pakistan's fortunes at the T20 World Cup will rest with Babar and reliable lieutenant Mohammad Rizwan, Ponting believes there is a young batter at the top of their batting order that might cause a surprise.

Four years out of the international game is a long time, but Amir says that the quality and environment around the Pakistan camp has made his reintegration pretty straightforward.

Pakistan are placed alongside India, co-hosts United States, Canada and Ireland in Group A. The top two teams will qualify for the next round of Super Eight, to be held in the West Indies with the final in Barbados on June 29.

The 30-year-old fast bowler made an encouraging return to competitive cricket.

The 2009 T20 World Cup champions have included five quality fast bowlers in their 15-player squad for the ninth edition of the tournament, with left-armer Shaheen Afridi to spearhead a pace attack alongside Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi and Mohammad Amir.

Pakistan on Friday became the 20th and the last team to announce a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies next month.

Speaking to the PCB Podcast, the left-arm speedster opined that Pakistan were close to success after recent near misses in the 2021 and 2022 edition.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan will play four-match series against defending champions England from May 22-30. The series will be an important one for Pakistan and England ahead of the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies.

Babar and Rizwan's 139-run stand proved decisive.

The two teams are currently battling it out in a three-match T20I series in Ireland in preparation for next month's ICC Men's T20 World Cup and Cricket Ireland’s Chair Brian MacNeice held discussions with PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi in relation to their tour of Pakistan in 2025.

It took Babar past Uganda's Brian Masaba for the most wins by male T20I captains and in front of former skippers in the ilk of England's Eoin Morgan, India's MS Dhoni and Australia's Aaron Finch.

Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan and Muhammad Irfan Khan, who all suffered injuries last month against New Zealand, were also included in an 18-man squad.

Gary Kirsten, the head coach of the Indian team that won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2011, will assume the role of white-ball head coach of Pakistan heading into the upcoming T20 World Cup, the PCB announced in their press conference on Sunday.

Having made her international debut in 2006, Maroof represented Pakistan in  276 international matches, aggregating 6,262 international runs, including 33 half-centuries to go with 80 wickets.

With wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan ruled out on the eve of the series with a muscle tear, Haseebullah Khan, who was called up as replacement, is likely to keep wickets in the last two matches in Lahore later on Thursday and on Saturday.