T20 World Cup 2024: What happened with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand?

Former T20 World Cup winners Pakistan, Sri Lanka and perennial favourites New Zealand have, rather shockingly, failed to make it into the Super Eights in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan were expected to progress from Group A along with India, but their chances were dashed after a shock defeat to the USA in the Super Over and a failed attempt to mount a comeback against their neighbours.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand were drawn into tougher groups. Sri Lanka was in Group D with Bangladesh and South Africa, while Kane Williamson’s New Zealand were drawn in the same group as two-time champions West Indies and Afghanistan.

Both teams were hopeful of progressing but a subpar performance meant they were forced to catch a flight home before the Super 8 stage.

All three teams will rue missed opportunities, and the inconsistency of the U.S. pitch will surely be a talking point for those who played their group stage matches in New York.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka were shaken by the unstable surface at the Nassau County Stadium and believe the results could have been different had conditions been different. Not just wickets, but the weather gods also intervened in some matches.

Tactical blunders like the drop of Tim Southee, the all-time leading T20I wicket-taker, in the crucial match against Afghanistan and a poor performance in the death overs against Rovman Powell’s team sealed New Zealand’s fate, leading to consecutive losses in the first two matches.

Wanindu Hasaranga’s side fared in a similar vein, losing two matches against Nepal and finishing third in the group with three points.

While the best teams fell off the grid, the lesser-known teams overperformed. When the tournament began, no one expected the United States to make it through the qualifiers, but with a spirited show from the co-host, they defied expectations and beat 2009 champions Pakistan to advance to the Super 8.