Published: Aug 28, 2024, 01:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 28, 2024, 01:36 PM (IST)
Pakistan cricket has been going through a downward spiral in the past few years with poor performances across all formats of the game. Under Babar Azam’s captaincy, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 and suffered their first-ever international defeat against Afghanistan in the league stage. They also had a forgettable T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where they lost their opening match to the non-Test-playing nation USA. Meanwhile, the recent loss to Bangladesh in the Rawalpindi Test added more misery for them.
The Pakistan players and team management have been brutally criticized especially during the past few days following the loss against Bangladesh. Several former cricketers have raised concerns over their performances and said that they need a complete overhaul.
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif not only bashed the team for their poor performances but also predicted that the USA team will go on to beat Babar Azam and Co. in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
“We lost to the USA, who are playing in the T20 World Cup for the first time. They didn’t even qualify, they played because they were the hosts. The way the situation is going at this moment, the USA will beat Pakistan in the next World Cup, in 2026. I’ll guarantee you that,†Asif said on the ‘The Nakash Khan Show’.
Asif also pointed out that the Pakistan team needs big changes in their set-up, including the captain and the coach, before the 2026 T20 WC in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes from the past.
“Before the 2026 World Cup, we have to change the captain, coach and the players. There needs to be planning for the two years that this is the team, this is the 20 players we want to work with. But we are repeating the same things, which is why I am telling you this,†Asif said.
