Asia Cup 2022: I Wanted India And Pakistan To Play In The Final; I Had Already Bought Tickets - Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar revealed he was looking forward to witnessing India and Pakistan lock horns in the Asia Cup 2022 final in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, after last night’s defeat to Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue are currently reeling to stay alive in the tournament and are on the verge of getting knocked out.

Having lost to Pakistan and the Islanders, Rohit Sharma and Co need something miraculous to book their berth in the final. Dasun Shanaka’s Sri Lanka started their campaign with an eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan, but are currently sitting on top of the table in the Super 4s stage.

India and Pakistan are slated to lock horns in ICC T20I World Cup this year

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar exclaimed, “I wanted India and Pakistan to play in the final, and I had already bought tickets. I wanted to interact with Indian and Pakistani crowds.”

India and Pakistan will also face each other in the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Akhtar also talked about going to watch the epic clash at the iconic venue in Melbourne.

“Ï will also go to Melbourne to watch Pakistan’s match,” Akhtar added.

Rohit Sharma needs to polish his captaincy skills, suggests Shoaib Akhtar

Akhtar also opined that Rohit Sharma needs to sharpen his skills as far as captaincy is concerned. The Indian skipper scored in the 70s against Sri Lanka and gave India a flying start against Pakistan, but both his knocks ended up in vain.

India are next scheduled to take on Mohammad Nabi’s Afghanistan and need to secure victory to stay alive in the hunt for a place in the final.

For now, Afghanistan needs to beat Pakistan in Sharjah on Wednesday, September 6 to keep Indian hopes going in the T20 competition.

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