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Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes South Africa should have deliberately lost against the West Indies during the Super 8 stage to knock eventual winners India out of the T20 World Cup 2026. He further added that had South Africa allowed West Indies to win against them at Ahmedabad, India`s journey at the World Cup would have been over.
India lost the opening match of the Super 8 against South Africa at Ahmedabad. The `Men in Blue` had to rely on other results due to their poor net run-rate and needed to win both their matches against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. However, that might not have been enough had the Windies beaten South Africa, as Shai Hope`s team had already won their opening game against Zimbabwe.
The Proteas and India qualified from Group 1 of the Super 8s for the semifinals when Aiden Markram`s South Africa defeated the West Indies, and India won their final two games.
Now, days after the T20 World Cup final, Vaughan stated that since India was the top team in the competition, South Africa should have tried to eliminate them.
“I tell you, who I think is the stupidest team of the tournament? South Africa. Because if South Africa had allowed the West Indies to beat them in the Super 8s, India would have been knocked out. I’m just saying – if they had cleared them out, the juggernaut that was coming would have stopped,” Vaughan said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
Vaughan further added that the must-win nature of India`s helped them gain momentum and eventually win the T20 World Cup.
“By winning that game, they allowed the juggernaut to go on. India then beat Zimbabwe, then the West Indies in a kind of quarterfinal, and then England. South Africa had to play Zimbabwe next, and they even rested three players for that match,” he added.
Eliminate the best team if you want to win the World Cup: Michael Vaughan
Speaking on the Stick To Cricket podcast, Vaughan suggested that the best way to win a World Cup is by eliminating the best team. The former English skipper admitted that these things don`t usually happen, but would have liked to see South Africa lose to the West Indies.
“Look, these things shouldn’t happen and usually don’t happen. I’m just saying that if you want to win a World Cup, the best way is to eliminate the best team early,” Vaughan said.
India went on to win the T20 World Cup for the third time, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at Ahmedabad.
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