Surely, the T20 World Cup 2024 has been exciting, full of surprises, full of upsets. Not all teams, however, came up to expectations. The big disappointments were Pakistan, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Each of these teams has traditionally been a cricket powerhouse but has failed to live up to their reputations with an early exit in this tournament.
Here’s a closer look at their performances and the reasons behind why we rank them as the worst teams of the 2024 World Cup.
Top 3 Worst Teams of T20 World Cup 2024
Pakistan
While the expectations were high from Pakistan looking forward to their recent record in T20 World Cups, this time the performance was nothing less than pathetic. They reached the final in the 2022 edition but lost to England. The men in green also managed to reach the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final where they lost to Australia.
Group A Performance:
- Matches: 4
- Won: 2
- Lost: 2
- Points: 4
- Net Run Rate: +0.294
Position: 3rd in Group A; eliminated in first round
Pakistan’s campaign was marred by inconsistency. They tended to beat Ireland and Canada but suffered shocking defeats to India and the USA. Though the defeat against the latter in the super-over was particularly embarrassing for a team of the calibre of Pakistan, this early exit from the tournament was foremost and proved that they lack the skill to perform under pressure.
New Zealand
The inconsistency also saw New Zealand exit the championship early. Coming into the tournament as one of the elites in the game, their performance was really disappointing.
Group C Performance:
- Matches: 4
- Won: 2
- Lost: 2
- Points: 4
- Net Run Rate: +0.415
Finals ranking: 3rd in Group C, eliminated in first round
New Zealand’s wins came against underdog teams like PNG and Uganda, which did little to enhance their credentials. They lost two critical matches to West Indies and Afghanistan, both of whom made it through to the Super Eight. Afghanistan’s journey to the semifinals only further underlined what New Zealand had missed out on. For a team that was expected to challenge for the title, failing to get beyond the group stage was a significant disappointment.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have a storied history in cricket and had recently shown strong form, certainly in the Asia Cup, but their performance was abysmal in the T20 World Cup 2024—leaving fans and analysts alike scratching their heads.
Performance in Group D:
- Matches: 4
- Won: 1
- Lost: 2
- No Result: 1
- Points: 3
- Net Run Rate: +0.863
Rank: 4th in Group D, eliminated in first round
Sri Lanka’s only win in this competition came against the Netherlands. They lost to Bangladesh and South Africa, and their match against Nepal was washed out by rain. It was far removed from the Asia Cup exploits, throwing questions on preparation and strategy for the World Cup.
Conclusion
Underperformance by Pakistan, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka have been perhaps the biggest stories of T20 World Cup 2024 which makes them the worst teams of the season. Such performances could only be expected from lower-ranked sides like Scotland, Netherlands, PNG, Uganda, Nepal, Canada, Oman, or Namibia, which happened, of course.
For these cricketing giants, it is a shocking fact not to make it out of group stages. The US, who are relative newcomers to high-level cricket, fared even better by going through to the Super Eight stage, where they lost all three matches.
These teams will now have to go back to the drawing board, reassess their strategy, and come back stronger in future tournaments. For now, these early exits remind one of the fact that cricket is a game of uncertainties, and reputations count for little on the field.
Also, see:
T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-final 1: Top 5 South Africa Players to Watch Against Afghanistan
