"They have themselves to blame" - Waqar Younis on Pakistan's 'very tricky and bumpy' road ahead in 2024 T20 World Cup after loss to India
Waqar Younis has noted that Pakistan have an arduous task ahead to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He added that the Men in Green have themselves to blame for their plight.
Pakistan suffered a six-run loss to India in a Group A clash in New York on Sunday, June 9. It was their second successive defeat at the start of their campaign, having previously lost to the United States of America via a Super Over in Dallas three days ago.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Younis was asked about the road ahead for Pakistan after the defeat against India.
"The road going forward is very tricky and very bumpy at this stage for Pakistan. They have themselves to blame. They can't really blame anybody. The opportunity was there. It was an easy game to win," he responded.
The former Pakistan pacer opined that Babar Azam and company should have scored a few more runs by the 10th over of the chase.
"There were 57/1 at the halfway stage. I thought maybe 10 runs short at the halfway mark. They should have been sitting somewhere close to 75 because you lost only one wicket and you were sitting at 57. You should have been a little bit more than that," Younis elaborated.
Pakistan were decently placed at 57/1 after 10 overs, needing 63 runs off the remaining 60 deliveries with nine wickets in hand. However, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually succumbed to the pressure of the mounting required run rate.
"Pakistan are once again relying on other teams to do well" - Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis noted that Pakistan will not only have to win their remaining two group games but also rely on other results to go in their favor.
"Pakistan have played poor cricket so far. From here on, Pakistan are once again relying on other teams to do well, and of course, winning the rest of their two games, and hoping that Ireland beat the USA and then India beat the USA," he observed.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Men in Green find themselves in similar situations virtually every time.
"There are a lot of ifs and buts now and it's always been the case like this with Pakistan. Pakistan need to think hard and the cricket board also needs to think hard that why this is happening all the time. So there are plenty of things to think about," Younis stated.
Pakistan need to beat Canada and Ireland in their remaining two group games to stand any chance of qualifying for the Super Eights. They will also need either India or the United States to lose both their remaining group games and hope to pip them on net run rate.