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After ending the recently played Asia Cup 2025 on a horrible note, Team Pakistan was supposed to kick off a new victorious start in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which started on 7th February 2026. But, as usual, Team Pakistan’s struggles continue, making it difficult for them to win even easy clashes. The Pakistan cricket team has been struggling in almost every match of the currently ongoing tournament, sometimes in bowling, sometimes in batting, and sometimes lacking in both. The summaries below highlight Team Pakistan’s struggles and the blunders made by them so far in the tournament against each opponent.
Pakistan vs Netherlands:
This was the opening encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Somehow, the bowlers did a great job restricting the opponent team to only 147, here the situation seemed quite easy and the target looked chaseable. But here comes the twist as usual, Team Pakistan’s struggles continued and the batting line-up started collapsing. The associate team like the Netherlands started gaining a grip over the match. Many Pakistan cricket team fans almost lost hope, and another upset in Pakistan’s cricket history was about to happen.
Sahibzada and Saim couldn’t give a good opening start, and then instead of sending Babar at one down, Agha came to bat, which obviously didn’t make any sense. Anyway, when all hopes were shattered, Faheem Ashraf took charge and won us the match miraculously with 3 balls left in hand. This match could’ve been won single handedly, but Pakistan’s batting line-up struggles made it difficult and ultimately affected the NRR.
Team Pakistan’s struggle against USA:
After the biggest upset in cricket history last season, when the USA defeated Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup, this match scared many Pakistan cricket team fans. Many wanted redemption to recover from that previous trauma.
However, the batting lineup once again struggled. Babar and Saim played at a very low strike rate. Shadab somehow managed to score 30 off 12 balls, but among them all, only Sahibzada’s blistering knock of 73 off 41 balls truly helped Pakistan set a total of 190. Otherwise, the remaining players were dismissed in single digits.
While defending 191, the bowlers performed well. Introducing Usman Tariq was a wise move, and he delivered. However, one decision that made no sense was sending Agha to bat at number one down before Babar.
In the end, Pakistan managed to win the match by 32 runs after struggling at certain stages.
Also See: Fakhar for WC 2026 – A big question on the explosive batter’s inclusion
Pakistan vs India:
The most-awaited clash finally happened after a lot of drama. But even after showing so much ego and previously boycotting matches against India, this team damaged its reputation badly with its performance.
Team Pakistan’s struggle continued and they made several blunders, the worst being the decision to bowl first after winning the toss. This was not the first time Agha, as captain, made such a mistake; he had done the same in the Asia Cup. It is obvious, and records also show, that the Pakistan cricket team has never been strong while chasing, especially when the batting lineup is already struggling. Choosing to bowl first was never a wise move.
The Indian batsmen dominated and smashed the Pakistani bowlers. Pakistan’s struggles continued, and the batting lineup collapsed yet again. Many questions were raised about the batting order. Saim failed to score significantly, although he did take some crucial wickets. However, that cannot justify his selection, as his primary role in the team is as a batsman.
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Like in the Asia Cup, Saim failed with the bat, and Babar also could not deliver, raising further questions about his selection as well.
An Easy Win Against Namibia:
This was Pakistan’s easiest and most one-sided victory of the tournament so far. Sahibzada’s magnificent century helped Pakistan set a strong total of 199. Agha once again made the same blunder by coming in at one down, which seems totally unjustified. Meanwhile, Saim and Shadab also contributed to the total, but their strike rates were not very impressive. Nafay failed to reach double figures.
However, the bowlers performed exceptionally well by restricting the opposition to just 97 runs. Shadab took three wickets, but that alone does not justify his place in the team as a proper all-rounder. His performances have been inconsistent, and he has rarely delivered against big teams. His selection should be reconsidered once the tournament ends.
Pakistan won by 102 runs, a commanding margin that helped them stay stable on the points table.
Upcoming Clashes:
Pakistan’s first match in the Super 8 round against New Zealand was abandoned due to heavy rainfall, resulting in one point being awarded to each team. Their next clash is against England on 24 February 2026. Pakistan have never beaten England in a T20 World Cup, so there is obvious doubt about who will come out on top.
The third clash is against Sri Lanka, the hosts, on 28 February 2026. It is a do-or-die situation for Pakistan. They must win both of their upcoming matches to qualify for the semi-finals. Otherwise, it would be another heartbreak for Pakistan cricket team fans.
