Pakistan's T20 World Cup Hopes Dwindle Amid Leadership Issues and Poor Performances

Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign has been marred by inconsistency and internal divisions, leaving their Super Eight qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

Captain Babar Azam's leadership has come under scrutiny, with reports of two factions within the team: one led by Azam, Mohammed Rizwan, and Shadab Khan, and another including recently sacked Shaheen Shah Afridi. This lack of unity has contributed to Pakistan's poor performances on the field.

In their opening match against the USA, Pakistan failed to defend a total of 159, losing in a Super Over. Against India, they were restricted to 113 for 7 while chasing a modest target of 120.

Pakistan's qualification chances now rest on defeating Canada and Ireland by large margins and hoping that the USA loses heavily to India and Ireland. However, even in this scenario, Pakistan's dismal net run rate (-0.150) compared to the USA's healthy run rate (+0.626) makes their task extremely difficult.

The 2009 champions have looked far from their formidable past, with none of their departments clicking so far. Babar Azam and Shadab Khan have scored runs, but the rest of the batting lineup has struggled. The bowling attack has also been inconsistent, failing to contain opposition batters effectively.

Pakistan's fate now lies in the hands of other teams and a stroke of luck. They must win their remaining matches convincingly and hope for favorable results elsewhere to keep their Super Eight hopes alive.

Tags: #PakistanCricket, #T20WorldCup, #BabarAzam, #LeadershipCrisis, #InternalDivisions