2 min readMar 12, 2026 06:30 PM IST
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has referred to South Africa as the ‘stupidest team’ for not allowing the West Indies to defeat them in their T20 World Cup Super 8 clash in Ahmedabad and virtually knock India out of the competition. The Aiden Markram-led side beat West Indies by nine wickets before India defeated Zimbabwe on the same day and ensured that they kept their semi-final qualification chances alive.
“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.”
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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,” Vaughan said on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast.
The 51-year-old said that one way of preventing the best team in the tournament from winning the T20 World Cup was by knocking them out, and South Africa beating the West Indies kept India alive in the competition.
“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 added.
India’s win over Zimbabwe made the contest against the West Indies a virtual quarter-final, and led by Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97, the co-hosts won by five wickets to enter the semi-final and knock the West Indies out of the tournament.
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South Africa travelled to Kolkata to play New Zealand in the first semi-final, where they were blown away by the Mitchell Santner-led side, by nine wickets, courtesy a 33-ball 100 from Finn Allen.
