Pakistan were not deserving to progress in T20 World Cup, says Harbhajan Singh

In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan have been eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024, failing to qualify for the Super 8 round. India and the USA advanced from Group A, leaving Pakistan behind after winning only one of their three group games.

Pakistan’s fate was sealed when the USA vs Ireland match on June 14 was abandoned due to excessive rainfall, allowing the USA to progress to the Super 8. The cricket world has reacted strongly to Pakistan’s poor performance, with India’s Harbhajan Singh stating that Pakistan did not deserve to progress based on their tournament performance.

Harbhajan criticizes Pakistan’s performance in T20 World Cup 2024

He criticized the quality of cricket Pakistan played and praised the USA for their better performance, noting that the USA defeated Pakistan in both a 20-over match and a 6-ball match on the same day.

“The Pakistan cricket team had their fate in their own hands and the kind of cricket they have played (in the T20 World Cup 2024), they were not deserving to progress (in the tournament),” said Harbhajan while talking on an Indian sports channel.

“The USA played better cricket than them. They played one match twice on the same day first of 20 overs then of six balls and defeated Pakistan in both. They won outstandingly and it was not a fluke.”

Harbhajan questioned which Pakistan team would show up against Ireland in their final group game in Florida today, given the team’s inconsistency. He also noted the disappointment of former great Pakistani cricketers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Inzamam ul Haq with the current state of the team.

“If you talk about Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Inzamam ul Haq, the greats of Pakistan who have left a legacy behind them and they now talk about the team on social media because it is hard for them to watch the condition of the team. They lose to Ireland and the USA and other teams that are not big names in the cricket world.”

Pakistan’s losses to teams like Ireland and the USA have highlighted their struggles in the tournament. Today’s game against Ireland will be their last chance to salvage some pride in a tournament where their performance has been underwhelming. Previous games in Florida, including USA vs Ireland and India vs Canada, were canceled due to rain, adding to the unpredictability of the tournament’s outcomes.