The tournament has left little room for error, and Pakistan suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand and arch-rivals India, pushing them to the brink of elimination—a fate sealed by New Zealand’s victory over Bangladesh.
Frustrated fans are now demanding significant changes to the country’s cricketing structure, calling for reforms from the very top, just days after the first global tournament in Pakistan in 29 years commenced.
This marks the third consecutive occasion that Pakistan has exited in the group stages of a major white-ball tournament, following their early departures from the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
While other teams have adopted a fearless and aggressive style, Pakistan appears stuck in the past. Their top order has been overly cautious, often playing defensively and waiting until the 35th over to ramp up their scoring.
The team’s struggles were evident, as they played an astonishing 161 dot balls against New Zealand in Rawalpindi and 147 against India in Dubai, reflecting a lack of urgency.
Issues like poor shot selection, inadequate fielding, and untimely injuries have compounded Pakistan’s difficulties. The absence of game-changing opener Fakhar Zaman due to injury created a significant gap, and his replacement, Imam-ul-Haq, failed to make a notable impact.
Star batter Babar Azam and captain Mohammad Rizwan have also not met expectations, providing little resistance when it was most needed.
Pakistan has historically relied on its strong pace attack to secure victories, but frontline bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf have appeared off-form and ineffective, lacking the potency they once displayed.
Off the field, Pakistan’s ongoing instability has played a major role in their decline. The team has experienced constant upheaval, cycling through numerous selectors, eight different coaches—including World Cup-winning South African Gary Kirsten—and four captains in just three years.
With chaos at the top, Pakistan’s struggles on the field seem almost inevitable.
On the spin-friendly pitches of Dubai and Karachi, it was perplexing that Pakistan named only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, leaving their bowling attack lacking depth.
Similarly, last edition’s semifinalists, Bangladesh, have also been eliminated from the tournament after consecutive losses to India and New Zealand. Their batting lineup, aside from occasional flashes of resilience from Towhid Hridoy, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Jaker Ali, has largely underperformed.
Despite their success on home turf against spin, the Bangla Tigers have struggled against slower bowlers, a vulnerability that has been exposed during this campaign.
Their inability to seize crucial moments, particularly due to sloppy fielding, has cost them dearly, with dropped catches in both matches compounding their issues. However, facing an out-of-form Pakistan, Bangladesh may see this as an opportunity to conclude their campaign on a positive note and salvage some pride.
