Ahead of England clash, Pakistan's Mohammad Amir predicts India won't reach T20 World Cup final - Here's why

Mohammad Amir claims India won't reach the T20 World Cup 2026 final. The former Pakistan pacer says Indian bowlers are out of form and the batting is seeing frequent collapses. 

Livemint
Updated3 Mar 2026, 01:39 PM IST
Mohammad Amir says India won't reach T20 World Cup finals
Mohammad Amir says India won't reach T20 World Cup finals

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has made another contentious remark, saying the Men in Blue will not reach the T20 World Cup 2026 final. Amir had earlier predicted that India would not reach the semi-finals, given the form of the West Indies.

Amir heaped praise on India's opening batter Sanju Samson, who led the team to victory in the virtual quarter-final clash against the West Indies, but noted that the Indian batting line-up is still prone to collapses. The bowling is out of form too, he said, which would be exposed in the next match against England.

Also Read | 'Will Jacks batting at seven is a real plus for England': Sunil Gavaskar

“Look, that was my analysis. Sanju Samson played well. But I still believe they are not playing their complete cricket. Apart from (Jasprit) Bumrah, none of their bowlers are in form,” Amir said.

“If you look at their batting, it keeps collapsing. It’s happening in every match. Samson deserves all the credit he gets, even more. The semifinal is coming up, and the match against England will be a good contest. I still believe that India will not play the final,” he added.

Amir made a similar point during his appearance on the Pakistani show Haarna Mana Hai, where he said, "If I analyse it from a cricketing point of view, India are not playing good cricket. Check their fielding. They have dropped at least 3-4 catches and fumbled on the field. Every bowler, except for (Jasprit) Bumrah, has gone for runs. I told you that (Hardik) Pandya never performs against big teams. He went for 40 runs in his 4 overs. West Indies also went after Varun Chakravarthy and the teams in the semifinals play well against spinners. I believe that India are still not hot favourites in the tournament."

Shimron Hetmyer was not out, says Amir

Amir also went on to find fault with the third umpire's decision to give Shimron Hetmyer out during the match. The former Pakistani pacer said it was a controversial decision, and he believes that Hetmeyer was not out; if he had stayed at the crease, India might have been knocked out of the tournament.

"I feel that Hetmeyer's dismissal was controversial. I don't think he was out. If he had stayed there a little longer and the score had reached 220–230, India would have been knocked out today," Amir said.

Hetmyer was dismissed in the 12th over of the match on a score of 27 while trying to pull a delivery from Bumrah. Hetmeyer was ruled caught out on the field, and he referred it to the third umpire. However, the snickometer showed a clear spike when the ball was close to the bat, which meant the third umpire sided with his on-field partner.

About the Author

For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, busine...Read More

Stay updated with all the latest news and insights on Cricket, Football, and Tennis at Livemint Sports. Catch the live action of theT20 World Cup 2026 with the complete T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, and the T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts for Most Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 and Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026.

Business NewsSportsCricket NewsAhead of England clash, Pakistan's Mohammad Amir predicts India won't reach T20 World Cup final - Here's why
More