Former Indian cricketer shocked after Pakistan’s exit from T20 World Cup 2024

No cricket was played at a rain-soaked Lauderhill in Florida, resulting in the USA and Ireland each being awarded one point. This advancement secured the USA a spot in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from Group A.

This milestone marks a historic achievement for the USA in their debut World Cup appearance, as they secured a position alongside India in the top two of their group.

This outcome settled all qualification scenarios in Group A: Ireland’s chances of progressing to the Super Eight ended, and Pakistan also exited the tournament at the group stage.

In a recent interview with a local sports platform, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his surprise and disappointment over Pakistan's early exit from the mega-event tournament currently being co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. 

Kaif did not hold back in his criticism of Pakistan's performance.

"It's a massive shocker. Pakistan reached the final last time. They play well and have good players, but they committed mistakes and the batting didn't fire. Whenever there was pressure, Pakistan weren't ready this time. If you talk about Mohammad Amir's Super Over where he was bowling wides - extremely poor bowling," Kaif said.

The former batter further dissected the team's performance, focusing on key players like Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan.

"When Iftikhar Ahmed got to bat under pressure, the bat didn't fire. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan weren't in good form. They were playing at a run-a-ball. They committed many mistakes and they had to pay for it. Whenever there was pressure, Pakistan totally disintegrated. They probably didn't deserve to reach the Super 8s this time," he said.