Pakistan’s dream of qualifying to the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s crushed on Friday (June 14) after the USA versus Ireland match was washed out in Lauderhill, Florida.
Rain and wet outfield forced the abandonment even without toss happening as USA progressed to the Super 8 stage from Group A alongside India.
Following the first-round elimination, the Men in Green are facing backlash from the fans and former cricketers alike.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also commented on Pakistan’s flop show in the showpiece tournament, attributing it to off-field turmoil.
Pathan pointed out that the likes of Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim talked ‘nonsense’ about captain Babar Azam last year and then they were included in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
Citing the example of Hardik Pandya's IPL 2024 fiasco, Pathan mentioned that even India have had off-field issues but managed to deal with them before marquee events.
"The way Indian cricket handles turmoil, whatever little we have. Yes, compared to Pakistan, it's nothing. Let me give you an example of what happened before the IPL," Irfan Pathan said while speaking on Star Sports.
"Mumbai Indians made Hardik Pandya the captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. That was a professional decision made by the franchise. But the way things went, there were a lot of things going on in terms of negativity and performances of the Mumbai Indians. But when it comes to Team India, Hardik Pandya has been performing well under Rohit Sharma as captain. And Rohit Sharma is using Hardik really well and not letting what has happened recently affect it.
"But, Pakistan. It doesn't happen. What was happening? Imad Wasim was sitting on the TV and talking nonsense about the captain. Mohammad Amir was talking nonsense on TV and now they are playing together. When those things happen... Shaheen Afridi was captain, now they removed him and they went back to Babar Azam. He said I don't want to be the vice-captain. When those things happen, it reflects on the team," he added.
"Apart from the skill, which is the main issue, how you manage off-the-field dramas. You always have drama, but if you don't have skill as well, it always leads to disaster, which is what happened for the Pakistan team."
Notably, Amir, who called time on his international career in 2020, reversed his decision earlier this year and declared his availability for the Pakistan team once again.
As part of his comeback, the left-arm pacer was included in the Pakistan T20I squad that played New Zealand at home and toured Ireland and England just before the ongoing T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, Imad Wasim, who had retired from international cricket in 2023, also made a U-turn in April this year after holding discussions with PCB officials. He also participated in the series against New Zealand, Ireland and England to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan will conclude their T20 World Cup campaign with the dead-rubber Group A match against Ireland in Florida on Sunday (June 16).
