“Does Pakistan deserve to be in Super 8?”: Shoaib Akhtar’s scathing attack after T20 World Cup defeat against India

Former Pakistani Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disappointment after the defeat to arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup game on Sunday. Pakistan put on a contrasting show in the batting and bowling department. After bowling out India for 119, Pakistan produced a shocking display with the bat, restricted to 113/7 in 20 overs. Chasing a target of 120, Pakistan were solidly placed at 73 for 3 in 12.1 overs, needing a run-a-ball 47, but Bumrah turned the game on its head with some sensational bowling. Analyzing the match, Akhtar asked the fans whether or not Pakistan deserves to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

“I know you are disappointed. The morale of the entire nation is at an all-time low right now. I had said before the game that personal goals shouldn’t matter. You have to play for each other and for the country. You have to show intent and win the game for the team. You shouldn’t worry about the milestones. Does Pakistan really deserve to be in the Super 8?

I think there should be a “Disappointed and hurt” text template automatically set to be posted. pic.twitter.com/R9Z0PZTRLv

-Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) June 9, 2024

Speaking about the defeat, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said that pressure got the better of the bowlers during the middle overs due to many wickets falling.

“I think they played well after 10 overs. We were chasing 120, we ran a ball in the first 10 overs but consecutive wickets and then [we left too much in the end]. The tactic was simple, play normally, rotate the strike, 5-6 or more. But in that period we had a lot of dot balls, the pressure was on us and we lost three quick wickets. I can’t expect much from tailenders. We didn’t live up to the mark in the first six overs, we were targeting 40-45 runs, we didn’t capitalize properly. The pitch looked decent, the ball coming well. A little slow, some balls bounce a little more, but you expect that with a drop-in pitch,” Babar said after the match.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma admitted that his team lost 15-20 runs with the bat on a pitch where “every run mattered” and praised pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his “genius” with the ball.

“We didn’t bat well enough. Halfway through our innings, we were in a good position. We didn’t put up enough partnership and fell short with the bat. We talked about every run that matters on a pitch like that. There was enough in, to be honest, in compared to the last game,” said Rohit.

(With ANI inputs)