The ICC World Cup 2023 saw Pakistan captain Babar Azam visibly upset on the field during their final match. Babar prevented wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan from celebrating with Shaheen Shah Afridi after Afridi successfully dismissed Ben Stokes. Babar’s actions may have been a result of the belief that the job was not complete, with England on track for a substantial score at the time of the incident. This frustration likely stemmed from the fact that Pakistan had no chance of qualifying for the semi-finals in the tournament. Pakistan and England were both eliminated in the league stage after a series of defeats in the tournament. This marks Pakistan’s third consecutive ODI World Cup without reaching the semi-finals, mirroring their campaigns in 2015 and 2019.
