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Cricket PlayersMichael Vaughan believes South Africa were 'stupidest team of the T20 World Cup': ‘India would have been knocked out’
Former England captain Michael Vaughan called South Africa “the stupidest team” of the T20 World Cup.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes South Africa were the “stupidest team” of the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, and it was their mistake that led to India walking away with the silverware for the third time. He said that had the Proteas allowed the West Indies to beat them at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad then India would have had an uphill task to make it to the semi-finals, and would have been eliminated from the competition, where they eventually went on to create history by winning the World Cup for the first time on home soil and also defending the title for the first time.
In the Super 8s, India lost the opening match against South Africa by 76 runs, and this result left the Men in Blue needing to win their next two 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.
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However, Aiden Markram's South Africa managed to thwart the challenge of the West Indies, and India also won the remaining two games, leading to the Proteas and India qualifying from Group 1 of the Super 8s for the semis. A few days after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, Vaughan said that the Proteas should have looked to eliminate India, as the hosts were the best side in the tournament.
“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.
“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’
The 51-year-old said the best way to keep the best team in the tournament from winning the T20 World Cup was to knock them out, and hence the Proteas clearly missed a chance to do the needful.
"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.
Speaking of the T20 World Cup final, India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, South Africa, the tournament favourites, crashed out after losing the semis to the Black Caps.
