“I would’ve got up again, had an injection, and return to bowl,” Shoaib Akhtar slams Shaheen Afridi for not bowling in T20 WC final
After the injury during the final, he missed Pakistan's entire home season but marked his return earlier this month in the Pakistan Super League for the Lahore Qalandars.
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Shaheen Afridi; Shoaib Akhtar
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Pakistan somehow reached the final to play against England in Australia. But their luck did not work against Jos Buttler and co. as the Englishmen, with a resilient knock from Ben Stokes, became the world champion twice in the shortest format with a five-wicket win over Babar Azam and his men at the MCG.
Pakistan’s star speedster Shaheen Afridi sustained an injury long before the start of the T20 World Cup, and even missed the 2022 Asia Cup. He had suffered a ligament injury to his right knee while touring Sri Lanka in July with the Test team. But to the relief of the Men in Green, Afridi recovered in time to play in the all-important tournament. He played throughout the tournament except for the time when his services were needed the most.
In the final, Afridi had to play a crucial role in scalping wickets before the powerplay to dismiss dangerous fish, the likes of Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, and so on. He cleaned up Hales in the very first over. He bowled two overs, conceded 13 runs, and picked up one wicket.
But while fielding, he once again found himself in immense pain after picking up an injury. He left the field but came back to bowl another over. But he couldn’t continue; even failed to deliver the first ball of his third over due to the sharp pain and left the field eventually.
Related: Can Harmanpreet Kaur and co. avenge last T20 World Cup final defeat against mighty Australia?
Shoaib Akhtar feels Shaheen Afridi would have become a superstar had he bowled despite suffering injury
Many current and former cricketers showed their support for the 22-year-old after the match and wished for his speedy recovery. But Shoaib Akhtar was not among them. He rather had a different take on what Shaheen Afridi should have done during the final.
“If I was in his place, I would’ve bowled those 12 deliveries and become Pakistan’s biggest celebrity; a national hero. I would come to bowl, I would fall, break my knee, blood would be streaming from my face, but I would’ve got up again, had an injection, and return to bowl. People would’ve said, ‘you would break your knee. You will die!’ And I would’ve said, ‘it’s better to die right now. World Cup is more important,” Akhtar said earlier this week in an interview with Suno TV.
“This was the moment where you could’ve become a superstar. If I was there, I would’ve broken my knee. I will get it fixed later! But that moment would never come back,” said the former paceman.
It was speculated that Afridi was rushed in for the 2022 T20 World Cup. After the injury during the final, he missed Pakistan’s entire home season but marked his return earlier this month in the Pakistan Super League for the Lahore Qalandars.
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Gouri Das
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