Pakistan are potentially out of the 2026 T20 World Cup after their two-wicket defeat against England. After the first match against New Zealand was washed out due to rain, it was necessary for Salman Ali Aga’s team to win this match. However, they failed to win, and with one point, their chances of qualifying are slim.
Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has displayed his double standards while commenting on the Pakistan team, as he was confident that the Green team will beat England and qualify for the semi-finals, and took a dig at arch-rivals India, who are also in a similar situation. He had to change his statement after finding internal problems in the team.
I pray to God that England plays very bad cricket – Shoaib Akhtar
Before the match, Akhtar had put the competition in clear, fan-first terms, saying, “If England play so badly, we will happily take even two points. And then India will be out too.”
Here is the video
Shoaib Akhtar before and after the game.
• Shoaib Akhtar before the start of the game – If England plays so badly then we will happily take 2 points and if India loses and we reach the semi-finals then our happiness will know no bounds.
• Shoaib Akhtar after the game -… https://t.co/brkXCyaKH7 pic.twitter.com/WzaZzenSxN
– 𝑨𝑻10 (@Loyalsachfan10) 24 February 2026
“There will be no limit to our happiness if India is out.” (“I pray to God that England play very bad cricket, and then we will happily take two points. After that, India will also be out, if India is out then our happiness will know no bounds”).
Shoaib Akhtar gave his statement after the defeat against England
After Pakistan lost the match, he changed his statement and talked about the captaincy of Salman Ali Aga. After Pakistan’s defeat, Shoaib raised questions on Aga’s leadership qualities and accountability. After the match, Shoaib said, “He is not fit to be the captain. When he is called the captain, I do not think he is suitable for the job. He was forced to become the captain temporarily.”
The sharp contradiction in pre- and post-match statements highlighted that even stories from former cricketers and pundits can change during an event like the World Cup. But overall, Pakistan have failed to perform well in high-risk games over the last few years, and they have not beaten England in the T20 World Cup, taking their record to 4-0.
Salman Ali Aga is not in the best form in this T20 World Cup. He has failed to score a half-century so far in this tournament, scoring only 60 runs at an average of 12.00 in five innings. His performance and leadership have been under scrutiny.
Earlier, former fast bowler Mohammad Ami had targeted Aga and said that after this major incident, Salman Ali Aga will be removed from the captaincy. According to a report by Rev Sports, Shadab Khan could be the new T20I captain. It is being said that head coach Mike Hesson is also under pressure as the team has failed to perform at its best against quality opponents.
Does Pakistan have excessive trust in Sahibzada Farhan?
Sahibzada Farhan has been the lone warrior for the team, as the opening batsman is currently the leading run scorer for the team as well as in the tournament. He has scored 283 runs at an average of 70.75, which includes two half-centuries and one century.
No other Pakistani batsman has scored a single half-century. The second highest run scorer for Pakistan is Shadab Khan, who has 111 runs to his name. This highlights Pakistan’s batting problems in this major tournament.
Also read: We would be foolish to ignore it: Ryan Burl takes a dig at India’s spin struggles