Mohammad Asif, considered to be one of the best pacers produced by Pakistan, has predicted that the Men in Green will once again lose to the USA if they face off in the next T20 World Cup in 2026. His words come after Pakistan suffered a humiliating loss to Bangladesh in the first of the two tests.
Pakistan cricket has recently faced several challenges, including frequent changes to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and internal player disagreements. The Men in Green have struggled to generate spectacular results across all formats of international cricket this year.
Pakistan entered the T20 World Cup 2024 with high expectations but suffered a crushing super-over loss to the United States in their first match and were eliminated from the game after losing to India in their second.
Speaking on a podcast, Mohammad Asif stated that the United States cricket team defeated Pakistan in the 2024 World Cup. He firmly asserted that the USA may repeat the feat in the 2026 T20 World Cup, considering their present success.
“We lost to the USA, who are playing in the T20 World Cup for the first time. They didn’t even qualify, they played because they were the hosts. The way the situation is going at this moment, the USA will beat Pakistan in the next World Cup, in 2026. I’ll guarantee you that,” Mohammad Asif predicted on ‘The Nakash Khan Show’ podcast.
The United States made their debut in the 2024 T20 World Cup as co-hosts with the West Indies. The American team proceeded to the Super 8 phases of the prestigious championship. Despite being knocked out by India in the T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and his team won their group-stage matches against Canada and Ireland.
We Are Repeating The Same Things – Mohammad Asif
Reflecting on the current status of Pakistan cricket, Asif believes that the team needs to make changes from the top down, but he sees the team committing the same mistakes over and over, which strengthens his bold forecast.
Asif stated that Pakistan should replace its captain, coach, and players before the 2026 World Cup.
“Before the 2026 World Cup, we have to change the captain, coach and the players. There needs to be planning for the two years that this is the team, this is the 20 players we want to work with. But we are repeating the same things, which is why I am telling you this. When the likes of India, and South Africa are moving forward in the next two years, we are still in the same spot,” Mohammad Asif added.
Pakistan cricket suffered another sad loss. This time, they face Bangladesh in a Test in their backyard of Rawalpindi, putting the emphasis back on their side.
Also Read: Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah Blamed By Pakistan Management For Loss To Bangladesh In Rawalpindi