The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday urged fans to rally behind the Green Shirts following three consecutive losses in the World Cup.

Pakistan has lost three consecutive World Cup matches against India, Australia and Afghanistan after winning its first two matches against Sri Lanka and Netherlands. The latest string of defeats has dropped them to the fifth spot in the World Cup.

The latest defeat against Afghanistan had drawn strong criticism from fans and former players, with many questioning the captaincy of Babar Azam.

Speaking to reporters after the Afghanistan match, Babar had not held back on the overall performance of the team, saying that both bowling and fielding “were not up to the mark”.

In a press release issued today, the PCB said that it acknowledged the “emotions and sentiments” of cricket fans after the three consecutive defeats.

“In this challenging environment, the board administration hopes that the cricketing fraternity and fans will continue to support captain Babar Azam and the entire Pakistan cricket team,” the board said.

The PCB said that the team still had four matches remaining in the round-robin stage, adding that it was “optimistic that the team will regroup, overcome the setbacks and perform positively and effectively in the upcoming fixtures”.

The board also addressed the “media scrutiny” directed at Babar and the team management. It said that the PCB’s stance, “echoing that of former cricketers, is that successes and defeats are part of the game”.

The PCB said that Babar and Chief Selector Inzamamul Haq were “given freedom and support” in forming the squad for the World Cup.

“Looking ahead, the board will make decisions in the best interest of Pakistan cricket based on the team’s performances in the World Cup. At present, the PCB encourages fans, former players and stakeholders to rally behind the team as they strive to make a triumphant comeback in the mega-event,” the PCB said.

Pakistan will face South Africa in their sixth game of the World Cup at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium tomorrow.

‘Got it in us to beat anybody’

Meanwhile, Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur, in a video message posted on the PCB’s X account, said that “our perfect game is good enough to beat anybody”.

“I don’t think our skills have been where they’ve needed to be in those last three games, but these players have got the skills. It is up to us as coaches to make sure that we get them firing come Friday by giving them the confidence and the belief that they can turn this around,” Arthur said.

“We have not put a game together yet. We have not played the complete game. It is up to us to delve, to dig, to give advice, to give information and to give the belief that we can put that perfect game together because we know our perfect game is good enough. Our perfect game is good enough to beat anybody,” he said.

““We have to find it because there is a massive ambition within the playing group. The boys are trying out hard in practice and I cannot fault their effort. I cannot fault attitude. What I can fault is the execution of skills under pressure, and that’s something that we continually work on at practice,” he said.

While speaking about Pakistan’s match against South Africa, Arthur said that the African side were full of confidence because they had played well. “I know though that if we do our basics and disciplines right, our skills will come out and we can beat anybody,” he said.