'We don’t deserve to be in T20 World Cup semis'

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has delivered a blunt assessment of Pakistan’s fading semi-final hopes at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, saying the team “does not deserve” to reach the last four based on its performances so far.

Speaking after Pakistan’s defeat to England in the Super Eights, Basit said Pakistan’s only realistic route to the semi-finals would depend on other results — specifically New Zealand losing both of their remaining matches against England and Sri Lanka — while Pakistan beat the Islanders themselves.

“The way we are playing, we don’t deserve to be in the semi-finals,” Basit said, pointing to what he described as flawed planning and poor decision-making.

The former opener was particularly critical of Pakistan’s selection strategy, placing responsibility on the selection committee and head coach Mike Hesson for including Babar Azam in the squad and deploying him at number four.

Basit argued that Pakistan’s batting approach cost them vital runs against England. He noted that Babar and Sahibzada Farhan went 23 deliveries without a boundary, which he said was a major reason the team fell around 20 runs short of a competitive total.

In contrast, Basit highlighted England captain Harry Brook as an example of proactive leadership. Brook, who usually bats at number five, promoted himself to number three in the chase — a move Basit said underlined England’s superior planning.

“They planned to win the game,” he said. “We won the toss and still ended up 20 runs short.”

Basit also questioned Pakistan’s batting order, suggesting that Saim Ayub would have been more effective in the middle order. He added that captain Salman Ali Agha should have prioritised team balance over individual roles.

“Any sensible captain would have batted Babar at number three and played himself at four,” Basit said.

He credited Shadab Khan for salvaging Pakistan’s innings late on, claiming the team would have struggled to reach even 150 without his contribution, eventually finishing on 164.

Basit was equally critical of the bowling decisions at the death. With England needing just three runs from the final over, he questioned why a spinner was not used, arguing that taking a wicket was Pakistan’s only chance.

“Salman should have gambled with Shadab instead of a pacer,” he said, calling it “a poor display of captaincy”.

The former international went further, calling for sweeping changes behind the scenes. Basit said the head coach and the selection committee should resign, describing it as the only way to put Pakistan cricket “back on track”.