Australia received a scathing review from former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif after they were upset out of T20 World Cup 2026. Kaif pointed out Australia’s recent outings in the last three ICC events as proof of what he called a ‘lull’ since their 2023 ODI World Cup victory.
Australia exited in the Super Eight of the 2024 T20 World Cup, lost in a semi-final of the 2025 Champions Trophy and fell short in another final, this time at the 2025 World Test Championship. Kaif cited this series to stress what he feels is a dip in the fortunes of their recent ICC campaigns.
He went on to say that the inclusion of all-rounder Hardik Pandya may have changed the outcome of the 2023 ODI World Cup final versus India, implying that Australia would have faced a more difficult battle if Pandya had been available.
“Mighty Aussies they were called after winning the 2023 50-overs World Cup. After that they had a sharp fall. 2024 World T20, 2025 Champions Trophy, 2025 World Test Championship – they were not Mighty. If Hardik Pandya had played the Ahmedabad final in 2023, the Aussies would have lost there too,” wrote Kaif on X.
Hardik injured his ankle during the 2023 ODI World Cup in a match against Bangladesh, which ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. His absence was clearly felt, especially in the later stages, as India missed the balance he provides as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Australia’s Early Exit Signals End of an Era
Talking about Australia, the team has not been able to match its old dominance since winning the T20 World Cup in 2021. They have had a few disappointing tournaments, but nothing as surprising as their early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026.
Australia started well with a strong win over Ireland. However, they then suffered a shock 23-run loss to Zimbabwe, which put them under serious pressure. That defeat made their match against Sri Lanka on February 16 a must-win game. Even though they began well with the bat, they failed to finish strongly, and Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably, thanks to Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten century.
Australia’s exit was confirmed when the Zimbabwe vs Ireland match was washed out due to rain. As a result, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe moved ahead from Group B to the Super Eight stage. Zimbabwe will now take on West Indies, India, and South Africa in the next round.
