Former Pakistan cricketer and current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selector Aaqib Javed defended the Pakistan team after their elimination from the T20 World Cup 2026 in the Super 8 stage. During group A of the tournament, Pakistan was defeated by India by 61 runs in Colombo as well.
However, Javed dismissed Pakistan's elimination, claiming that even famous captains in the past had failed to beat India in the global arena. He further remarked that Pakistan has just lost one match (in the Super 8); thus, there is no crisis at hand.
Pakistan is 8-0 Behind India in ICC World Cups, having lost all the games they have played at the event, starting from 1992 onwards. In the T20 World Cups, Pakistan is 8-1, having won only once, when they defeated India in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
"India-Pakistan matches are very important for us, and we get very hurt emotionally. But we haven't been able to beat them to date. 8-0 is the record. The world's best captains have played the match, right from 1975 to 2026. We've had players from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, but the result is still 8-0,” Aaqib Javed said at a press conference, as quoted by Samaa TV.
Javed defended Pakistan's performance in the T20 World Cup by pointing out that they only lost one out of three Super 8 matches.
“Once we reached the second round (Super 8), we had one match that got washed out by rain. And then we lost one match. Nothing else has happened, right?
Pakistan's first Super 8 game versus eventual runners-up New Zealand was called off due to rain. The Salman Ali Agha-led team lost narrowly to England in their second encounter. Pakistan needed to win their third match, against Sri Lanka, by at least 64 runs; however, they failed to accomplish so.
“I don't think winning by the margin that was required against Sri Lanka on that pitch was achievable. We did not qualify for the semi-finals on net run rate. It is an issue, but not so big that you'll say our cricket has been destroyed and that we are of no use anymore" Javed said.
Pakistan is currently playing a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
