Islamabad, Feb. 25 -- After Pakistan's title defence in the Champions Trophy ended in the group stage, former cricketer Basit Ali apologised for his statement that the final would be played in Lahore and backed India to lift the title.

Pakistan's dreadful run in the ICC events continued after the defending champions lost two games on the trot in the group stage against New Zealand and India.

The Men in Green needed a favour from Bangladesh to stage a victory over New Zealand. However, on Monday, the relentless Kiwis took the Tigers down with a five-wicket win in Rawalpindi to seal their trip to the semi-finals with India.

The shock of Pakistan's exit continued reverberating on Tuesday, with Basit apologising for his prior statement tha...