Pakistan suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in Chennai.
Opting to bat first, the Men in Green rode on half-centuries from Babar Azam (74) and Abdullah Shafique (58) and crucial cameos from Iftikhar Ahmed (40) and Shadab Khan (40) to post 282/7 on the board.
In reply, Afghanistan overhauled the target with eight wickets and an over to spare. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran (87) set the tone with an opening stand of 130 runs, Rahmat Shah (77*) and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (48*) stayed till the end to seal the deal.
After the game, Pakistan pace legend Waqar Younis slammed Babar and company’s attitude on the field while also praising the Afghanistan side.
"It is very hurting. But I'm very happy for Afghanistan. Also, don't forget because you know they deserve it. The way they handle the pressure, the way they played cricket. I'm happy for them. I am gutted because you know what I've seen today," Waqar said while speaking on Star Sports.
"That's not the Pakistan team, I know you know. The attitude was totally missing zero out there. There was no method. It was just you bowl you bowl. You know, we're not going to field and we're sitting on the heels. There was so much to sort of. We can sit down here all night and criticise because they have provided us so much to talk about," he added.
With this defeat, Pakistan are on the brink of elimination. They need to win their remaining four games and hope that other results go their way to secure a place in the semi-final.
Pakistan’s next World Cup match is scheduled against South Africa in Chennai on October 27.