Islamabad: Pakistan's hopes of winning the T20 World Cup for the second time were dashed on Sunday when England won the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) final. Ben Stokes led England's 138-run chase, and Jos Buttler and company won the coveted trophy. The game changed when Shaheen injured his knee while talking a catch to dismiss Harry Brook.

He then could not bowl his full overs, and Stokes and Moeen Ali took advantage of the part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed. Wasim Akram analysed Pakistan's loss after the game, and it was then that the former Pakistan captain lost his cool when a fan asked a question about Shaheen Afridi. Akram did not read the question, but he responded appropriately.

"This guy, the question you have asked is just misbehaving. If you do not have any respect, you are misbehaving with your player. You are not ashamed; look what he has said about Shaheen Shah Afridi. I am fuming; I wish you were in front of me," Akram said. The turning point in the match occurred when Shaheen Afridi was injured after landing awkwardly on his knee while taking a catch to dismiss Harry Brook. This forced him to abandon his spell in England's 15th over. "I used to tell my team to fight till the last bowl. Try your best. But when the result comes, and you have given your best, it is God's will. But what is not in your hands, the way Shaheen Afridi was injured, no one can do anything about that," Dawn.com quoted Imran Khan.

"And unfortunately, it happened when the match was at a critical stage, and Shaheen could have made a difference. I am not saying that we could have won, but it was at a time when the game could have been changed," he added. Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen, and Mohammad Wasim Jr all tried their hardest to defend 137. Rauf, in particular, gave England a scare when he dismissed Phil Salt and Jos Buttler inside the powerplay.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 16 2022

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.