"It is not a surprise that Pakistan are knocked out"- Piyush Chawla after Babar Azam and his men's exit from T20 World Cup 2024
Veteran Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla believes the kind of cricket that Pakistan played in the T20 World Cup 2024 group stage didn't make them deserving of a place in the Super 8 phase. Pakistan's elimination from the tournament was sealed when the match between the USA and Ireland was washed out in Florida on Friday (June 14).
Chawla shed light on Pakistan's defeats against India and the USA and how they had their moments but couldn't capitalize on them. He also spoke about their fielding standards that cost them dearly in both their losses.
Speaking to Star Sports, here's what Piyush Chawla had to say about Pakistan's performance:
"You lost to India while chasing just 120 on a pitch that was a lot better than others at that venue. Then you also lost against USA where you couldn't defend 159 and then the Super Over. The fielding also has been poor. So it is not a surprise that Pakistan are knocked out because they didn't play good cricket. When you don't play good cricket, you have to face the exit door."
Skipper Babar Azam was already receiving a lot of flak from former cricketers back in Pakistan. Now the early T20 World Cup exit is likely to intensify the scrutiny.
Big questions will be asked on Pakistan's performance in T20 World Cup 2024: Piyush Chawla
While Piyush Chawla believes Pakistan's performances warrant their early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, he also feels that the Men in Green will have a lot of tough questions to answer. They were the runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament, held in Australia in 2022.
On this, Chawla opined:
"There will be a massive disappointment because of the way Pakistan had played in the previous edition. After having played in the final (in 2022), if you do not even qualify for the Super 8 stage, then some big questions will be asked."
Pakistan have only one win against Canada to show from their T20 World Cup campaign so far. They still have a game to play against Ireland in Florida on June 16.