T20 World Cup: India's Sanjay Manjrekar mocks Pakistan's 'gully cricket' performance

In a candid critique following Pakistan's surprising defeat to the USA in the T20 World Cup on Thursday, cricket analyst and former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar focused on what he termed as 'gully cricket' level of play from the Pakistani team.

"Over the years, Pakistan has continually surprised us. We've witnessed several upsets, and the Pakistan we once knew – the world champions of '92 and the 2009 T20 champions – is now just a memory," remarked Manjrekar. "Today's Pakistan, unfortunately, doesn't exhibit the same strength. And I'm not basing this solely on today's result."

However, it was his assessment of Pakistan's current performance that captured significant attention. "It was certainly an upset, undoubtedly a highlight of US's relatively brief career in this sport," acknowledged Manjrekar. "Yet, the narrative also reflects Pakistan's descent to rock bottom—not just because of the loss, but as you mentioned, the display was reminiscent of 'gully cricket'."

Expanding on this observation, Manjrekar explained, "That's the impression I got. Watching Mohammad Amir's Super Over, the misfielding, and the overall performance, it was clear that Pakistan is currently at its lowest."

The match, held at a packed Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday, saw the USA winning the toss and electing to field. Pakistan's innings was marked by inconsistent batting performances. Despite a resilient half-century from captain Babar Azam, the rest of the batting line-up struggled, managing a total of 159 runs.

In response, the USA's chase was led by a determined effort from their top order. Despite some moments of pressure, the USA managed to keep pace with the required run rate.

Read also: T20 World Cup: Wasim Akram criticises Pakistan's performance against USA as ‘pathetic’

The match eventually culminated in a thrilling Super Over after the USA levelled the score at 159.

In the Super Over, Pakistan's performance was marred by misfielding and poor bowling decisions from Mohammad Amir, whose deliveries were erratic. The USA capitalised on these errors, clinching a historic victory.

Manjrekar's blunt assessment has sparked discussions among cricket fans and analysts about the current state of Pakistan's cricket and the steps needed to reclaim their former glory.