LAHORE, Oct 6: Pakistan T20 captain Mohammad Hafeez on Saturday lamented that his team could not come up to the expectations of the nation, making exit from the World Twenty20 after losing the semi-final to Sri Lanka in Colombo this week.

Talking to reporters after arriving at the Allama Iqbal Airport in the wee hours of Saturday, Hafeez thanked the nation and the media for supporting the team.

He, however, avoided commenting on the pitch prepared for the semi-final, saying it was same for both the sides. He said he was not in a position to give any comment on the pitch and the umpiring.

Defending the overall performance of the players, Hafeez said he was quite satisfied with it.

However, he immediately checked his statement to say that the batsmen gave a below-par performance, especially the middle-order, which made things difficult for the team in key matches. “The target of 140 set by Sri Lanka was not a stiff one, but the middle-order collapse cost us the match,” said the skipper.

Answering another question, Hafeez said the decision of playing all-rounder Sohail Tanvir instead of experienced Abdul Razzaq in the semi-final was not his alone but of the entire team management.

“I think Sohail Tanvir also justified the decision with his performance,” he added.

Commenting on all-rounder Shahid Afridi’s poor show in the tournament, Hafeez said the seasoned player was unlucky to be out of form, but he expressed hope that Afridi will regain his terrific form soon.

Besides Hafeez and Razzaq, the other cricketers who arrived at Lahore airport included Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Nazir, Sohail Tanvir, Nasir Jamshed and head coach Dav Whatmore.