South Africa the stupidest team of T20 World Cup, could've knocked out India: Vaughan
India Today
T20 World Cup: Michael Vaughan labelled South Africa the stupidest team during the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2026. Vaughan said that South Africa should have lost their Super 8 clash against the West Indies to put India on the brink of elimination during the second phase of the tournament.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled South Africa as the stupidest team in the T20 World Cup 2026 and claimed it was their mistake that allowed India to win the tournament. Vaughan said that if South Africa had allowed West Indies to beat them in their Super 8 clash, then India would have faced an uphill task to make it to the semis and may have been eliminated in the process. During the Super 8 stage, India lost to South Africa by 76 runs, and it left Suryakumar Yadav's team in a tricky spot, needing wins in their next two games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. I
India defeated Zimbabwe but were also closely following the result of the South Africa vs West Indies clash in Ahmedabad. The Proteas thrashed the Windies to seal their spot and make India's clash against the two-time champions a virtual quarterfinal in Kolkata. The hosts won the contest and went on to beat England in the semi-final. South Africa were eliminated from the tournament after their loss to New Zealand in the final four stage.
“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.
Vaughan suggested that the way to win a World Cup is by ensuring that the best team is eliminated early.
"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.
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