Pakistan’s T20 World Cup journey ended on Saturday after they failed to beat Sri Lanka by a heavy margin.
England kept the Green Shirts alive in the tournament by defeating New Zealand a day earlier.
However, Pakistan needed to win by around 65 runs against Sri Lanka to progress.
They secured victory by only five runs, despite a partnership of 176 between openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman.
Given the talent in the squad, Pakistan should have qualified for the semi-finals.
Several big players failed to meet expectations, and they should be dropped to allow youngsters an opportunity in the team.
Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan wasn’t effective as a bowler in the T20 World Cup 2026. The 27-year-old took only five wickets in six matches in the tournament, and those came against the United States and Namibia.
His impact was minimal in the big matches against India, England and Sri Lanka. The same can be said about his batting, which failed to deliver against the three big teams.
Babar Azam
Babar Azam is undoubtedly a world-class player, but he failed to make an impact in the T20 World Cup. Pakistan needed him the most against India and England, but he failed to deliver on both occasions.
The experienced batsman was bowled out on just five by Axar Patel against the Men in Blue, while he played a slow innings of 25 in 24 balls against England.
Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi hasn’t been the same since returning from a knee injury that ended his stint with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL).
The left-arm pacer delivered an excellent bowling spell against England, dismissing their opening four batsmen.
But he was expensive against Sri Lanka yesterday, conceding 48 runs in his four overs. Afridi also failed to deliver anything remarkable in the other matches against the Netherlands, US and India.
