Questions arise over the poor performance of major Test-playing nations in the T20 World Cup 2024, held in the USA and West Indies. A quick look at the points table shows four top ICC-ranked teams fighting for survival: 2009 T20 World Cup champions Pakistan, New Zealand, defending champions England, and 2013 champions Sri Lanka. Smaller teams like Scotland, the USA, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands have captured fans’ attention in the ongoing tournament.
In Group A, Pakistan’s loss to the USA and their failure to chase a modest target of 120 runs against India put them under scrutiny. Babar Azam’s team now depends on other results to reach the Super 8 stage; another defeat could knock them out.
In their first two group stage matches, England lost to Australia, and their match against Scotland was abandoned due to rain. In Group C, New Zealand’s position is below Papua New Guinea after heavy defeats in their first two matches. Afghanistan caused an upset by defeating New Zealand in the first match, and hosts West Indies won by 13 runs in the second match.
From Group D, Sri Lanka is almost out of the tournament, while Bangladesh and the Netherlands are favorites to reach the Super 8 round. South Africa remains at the top of the group standings.
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