Mohammad Kaif, a former Indian cricketer, has criticized Australia following their surprising exit from the T20 World Cup 2026. He noted their performances in recent ICC tournaments, arguing that the team has declined since winning the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Australia was eliminated in the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, lost in the semi-final of the 2025 Champions Trophy, and did not win the 2025 World Test Championship. Kaif highlighted these outcomes to illustrate a clear downturn in Australia’s recent ICC performance.
He also mentioned that Hardik Pandya’s involvement could have affected the outcome of the 2023 ODI World Cup final against India. Kaif stated that Australia would have faced tougher opposition, as Pandya played a crucial role in that match.
