"There can't be a bigger insult than this" - Kamran Akmal blasts Pakistan after USA upset

Former Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal called the Men in Green's Super Over defeat to the US in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday the "biggest insult" to the nation's cricket. He said the World Cup debutant US side, comprising of semi-professional cricketers, looked like they were "ranked above" Pakistan.

Thanks to a mundane batting effort on a decent track, Pakistan could score just 159/7 in the first innings in Dallas after being asked to bat. In reply, the US batters showed more conviction in the game plan, threaded multiple partnerships (no batter got out in single digits), and took the game to the Super Over.

Here, a poor show from Mohammad Amir and some sloppy fielding helped the USA post 18 runs. Pakistan, with further tactical errors, could manage just 13/1 in reply.

"The biggest insult for Pakistan cricket is losing the game in the Super Over," Akmal said on his YouTube channel. "There can't be a bigger insult than this. The USA played exceptionally well. They didn't feel like a low-ranked side. It felt like they were ranked above Pakistan. That is the level of maturity they showed."

Given that it came against a former T20 World Cup winner, it was the US' biggest international win yet.

"The face of our cricket has been revealed" - Kamran Akmal

Worryingly for Pakistan, the team seemed to lack any kind of vision on the field, with skipper Babar Azam constantly looking out for options in the second innings, despite having one of the best bowling attacks in the competition.

"They deserved to win because they played better cricket than us. The face of our cricket has been revealed. It shows how we are taking our cricket forward," Akmal added.

Now, the US has a better chance of reaching the Super-eight stage than Pakistan/ Babar's team will now have to start their comeback trail with a rare win over India on Sunday if they have to survive this blow.