Pak players avoid fans, media on return

Dodging irate fans and a quote-hungry media, the Pakistan cricket team returned home in the wee hours this morning after a disastrous tour of

Australia during, which the side was whitewashed in all three formats of the game. The squad avoided fans and media and used a back door exit to come out of the Karachi airport instead of the normal one.

The team was blanked in the Test and ODI series before losing the only Twenty20 match of the tour by two runs.

Surrounded by a heavy contingent of security personnel, the Pakistani players and officials were taken out from the old airport terminal building and rushed into a waiting van, which took them to the hotel.

"We are not hiding from anyone we have used this exit on the advice of the police officials who are responsible for our security and obviously it is their primary concern," coach Intikhab Alam said.

Stopped by the media while trying to get into the van, Intikhab looked nervous and short of breath as he tried to defend the poor performance of his team.

Asked whether he would resign like chief selector Iqbal Qasim, Intikhab said he accepted full responsibility for the team's poor show but would not put in his papers.

"I don't want to comment on this right now, but let me tell you one thing I am not one to run away from anything," Intikhab said.

He also dismissed media reports of division in the team. "All this talk about groupings is rubbish there is no such problems in the team," he said.

Some players like Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Asif, Umar Akmal hid their faces while boarding the waiting van.

The heavy police contingent that surrounded the team indicated that the Pakistan Cricket Board had made advance arrangements to avoid any untoward incident on their arrival given the wave of anger and disappointment at the team's dismal show.