Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign ended on Saturday with yet another exit before the semifinals of an ICC tournament, triggering a fierce backlash from former players and experts.
Captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson and senior batter Babar Azam found themselves in the firing line as critics dissected tactical blunders, questionable selections and a lack of clarity in leadership. Even Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi was dragged into the storm, with calls for structural “surgery” growing louder.
For the fourth consecutive ICC event, Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals since finishing runners-up at the 2022 T20 World Cup. The slide includes group-stage eliminations at the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez targeted Agha and Hesson following what he described as a “painful debacle”. Although Pakistan won their final Super 8 match, the victory margin was insufficient to improve their net run rate enough to overtake New Zealand for the second semifinal spot from Group 2.
Hafeez said the tournament had exposed not just Agha’s captaincy but the broader direction of Pakistan cricket – from team management to selection policy and tactical planning.
“I will sum it up as the end of a painful debacle. Right from the start, the way the Pakistan team was playing was incomprehensible to any cricket critic. But it kept going,” Hafeez said on the Game On Hai show.
“I believe this World Cup has totally exposed the Pakistan think tank’s planning. Whatever policy they created and their decision-making process has been laid bare. The captaincy has been badly exposed. If you persist with someone who doesn’t even deserve a place in the team, you might see temporary benefits, but you will get stuck in the long run. And if you look at the overall skill level of the players, everything has been exposed – where do we stand in modern-day cricket? Where does our batting stand? Where do our bowlers stand?”
Former cricketer Basit Ali, meanwhile, questioned Babar’s selection in the T20I squad and Hesson’s handling of the senior batter.
“He openly said Babar lacks intent in the powerplay and his strike rate is low. If he’s not suitable after 10 slow overs, then why was he selected? Who picked him? And who is going to hold the head coach accountable?” Basit asked.
He ended with a direct appeal to Naqvi.
“Chairman, surgery is needed. Bring in good people. Keep good advisors. Your cricket will not improve in a year. Bring in people with strong service records who understand the game and can rebuild it step by step, starting from the junior level.”