Michael Vaughan called South Africa the “stupidest team” of the T20 World Cup after their nine-wicket win over West Indies in the Super 8 stage helped India stay alive in the tournament.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised South Africa’s decision during the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage. South Africa defeated West Indies by 9 wickets in Ahmedabad. The result kept India’s semifinal hopes alive in the tournament.
India later secured a win against Zimbabwe on the same day. That result maintained their chances of progressing further. Vaughan argued that South Africa’s win indirectly helped India remain in the competition. According to him, removing the strongest side earlier increases the chances of winning the title.
“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.
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“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 continued.
Notably, India’s win over Zimbabwe had turned the match against West Indies into a virtual quarter-final. Sanju Samson produced an unbeaten 97 as India chased down the target successfully. The hosts won by 5 wickets and secured a semifinal spot.
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