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‘Mai hota to Pakistan ke liye mar jaata’ – Shoaib Akhtar feels Shaheen Afridi lacked willpower in 20-20 World Cup final against England

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Pakistan were just one step away from their second 20-20 World Cup title in November 2022. Defending 137 in a final against England at MCG, Pakistan gave a tough fight to England and were on the way to taking the game away from the Three Lions. In the 16th over of England’s innings, the Pakistani pacer struggled with a knee problem and was forced to leave the field between the over.

Iftikhar bowled the rest of the over and went on to give 13 runs in five balls. England went on to win the match and lift the title for the second time, powered by Ben Stokes, who played a match-winning knock of 52 off 49 as England chased 138 losing 5 wickets with an over remaining.

Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels Afridi lacked willpower in the 20-20 World Cup final and stated that he would have sacrificed his knee or even his life for Pakistan to win the World Cup. In an interaction with Pakistan’s Suno TV, Akhtar said that Afridi wouldn’t have got a better opportunity to become the superstar of the country.

‘This moment would never come again’ – Shoaib Akhtar

“Ye tha vo moment jahan par aap superstar ban sakte the. Agar main hota, to main Pakistan ke liye mar jaata. Mai tod deta ghutna, ghutna jud jayega baad mein. Ye lamha vapas nahi aata. (This was the moment when you could have become a superstar. Had I been in his place, I would have sacrificed my life for Pakistan’s sake. I wouldn’t care if my knee broke, it would have healed again. But, this moment would have never come back again),” said Akhtar.

Pakistan were on the verge of getting eliminated from the race to the semi-finals of the 20-20 World Cup, after losing against India and getting upset against Zimbabwe. But the win against South Africa, Netherlands, and Bangladesh put hope for the Shaheens. And the Netherlands came as a saviour for them by defeating South Africa in their last league match. Pakistan then defeated New Zealand in the semis to book their spot in the finals.

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