Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan is in awe of the bowling attack of the Babar Azam-led side, who gave it their all, in trying to defend 137 runs against England in the final of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. It was England that won the tournament for the second time, after Ben Stokes guided the chase, helping the Three Lions get over the finishing line with five wickets in hand.
During the match, the turning point came when Shaheen Afridi was injured after landing awkwardly on his knee while taking a catch to dismiss Harry Brook. This forced him to abort his spell in the 15th over of England’s chase.
“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, then 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, the former Pakistan Prime Minister, as saying.
“And unfortunately, it happened at a time when the match was at a very important 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.
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Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen and Mohammad Wasim Jr gave it their all, in trying to defend 137. Rauf, especially, gave a scare to England when he dismissed Phil Salt and Jos Buttler inside the powerplay.
“I especially want to say that our fast-bowling attack […] from what I saw today […] is the best fast-bowling attack in the world. Our team right now is among the best teams in the world,” said Imran Khan.
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