AFTER so much happened off the field, it was ultimately a mismatch on it. Pakistan were once again second-best against India, outplayed and outsmarted; and once again, they suffered an all-to-familiar batting collapse that meant they were never in the chase. Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, skipper Salman Ali Agha and Babar Azam all succumbed to the pressure, leaving Pakistan 34-4 in their pursuit of a winning 176. They eventually folded for 114; only Usman Khan offered a semblance of resistance with 44. The defeat once again raises questions about Pakistan’s mental strength, especially when they come up against their arch-rivals. The team went ahead with the match against India only after protracted talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council regarding Bangladesh’s ouster from the tournament after the latter refused to play in India and following Pakistan’s victories against the Netherlands and the US. But they were unable to sustain the winning streak and the loss means they cannot afford any slip-up against Namibia in their final group game.

The US, who have finished their group commitments, are second in the table with four points and a better net run rate than Pakistan. India have already qualified and Pakistan must beat Namibia to go through to the Super Eights. Salman said after the match that Pakistan’s execution was missing and that the spinners came to the fore only after Ishan Kishen’s blazing 77. He said the players were unable to handle the emotions of the charged clash. That is something Pakistan need to work on. They face another stressful game with qualification hopes on the line. Before the tournament, Pakistan had spoken about increasing their capacity to absorb pressure. Coach Mike Hesson must work on that to ensure the team’s survival. With Salman stating that the Super Eights will be the start of a new tournament, the aim should be to learn lessons and do better.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026