Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif didn't hold back in his criticism of Australia after their surprising exit from the T20 World Cup 2026. He pointed out that Australia's performances in the last three ICC tournaments show a clear decline since their victory in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Australia was eliminated in the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, faced a semi-final defeat in the 2025 Champions Trophy, and lost in the final of the 2025 World Test Championship. Kaif used these results to emphasize what he sees as a downward trend in their recent ICC outings. He also mentioned that the presence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya could have changed the outcome of the 2023 ODI World Cup final against India, suggesting that Australia would have had a tougher time if Pandya had been fit for that match. "Mighty Aussies they were called after winning the 2023 50-overs World Cup. After that they had a sharp fall. 2024 World T20, 2025 Champions Trophy, 2025 World Test Championship - they were not Mighty. If Hardik Pandya had played the Ahmedabad final in 2023, the Aussies would have lost there too,” wrote Kaif on X. Also Read | Australia Knocked Out of T20 World Cup 2026 After Zimbabwe vs Ireland Washout Hardik suffered an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup while playing against Bangladesh, which sidelined him for the rest of the tournament. His absence was keenly felt, especially in the later stages, as India struggled without the balance he provides as a seam-bowling all-rounder. As for Australia, the team has found it tough to regain its former glory since winning the T20 World Cup in 2021. They've had a series of disappointing campaigns, but none have been as shocking as their early exit from the current T20 World Cup 2026. Australia Out of T20 World Cup 2026 After Losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka Australia kicked off their campaign with a solid win over Ireland. However, they faced an unexpected 23-run defeat to Zimbabwe, which put them in a tight spot. That loss meant they had to win against Sri Lanka on February 16. Despite starting strong with the bat, Australia couldn't finish the job as Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, thanks to Pathum Nissanka’s impressive unbeaten century. The final nail in the coffin came when the match between Zimbabwe and Ireland was called off because of rain, which officially sealed Australia’s fate in the tournament. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have moved on from Group B to the Super Eight stage. Now, Zimbabwe is set to take on West Indies, India, and South Africa in the next round.