'USA will beat Pakistan in 2026 World Cup' - Ex-PAK pacer doesn't mince words to highlight Men in Green's horrific slump in form

Over the past two years, the Pakistan cricket team has been having a tough time across all formats. A lacklustre performance in the 2023 Asia Cup was followed by a dreadful outing in the ODI World Cup, where they suffered their first-ever defeat against Afghanistan and made an early exit from the tournament.

A few months later, Babar Azam and Co. entered another major tournament, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the result was similar. They lost their opening match to the associate nation USA and went on to end the campaign on an embarrassing note.

Pakistan’s alarming decline in form was highlighted when they lost to Bangladesh for the first time a few days ago. The Men in Green were defeated by 10 wickets in their own backyard in Rawalpindi, inviting backlash from all quarters.

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Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif is the latest to bash his national team over recent disasters. He also made a brutal prediction that the team will suffer another defeat against the USA in the T20 World Cup 2026.  

“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,” Asif said on the YouTube podcast ‘The Nakash Khan Show’.

Asif calls for change in Pakistan’s captaincy, coach and players

Asif, who represented Pakistan between 2005 and 2010, also expressed his opinion on changing the captain, coach and players. He added that while teams like India and South Africa are making huge strides, Pakistan are still in the same situation.

“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,” Asif highlighted.

“When the likes of India, and South Africa are moving forward in the next two years, we are still in the same spot,” he added.  

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