I Still Think India Can Reach The Final Of The T20 World Cup - Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan player Shoaib Akhtar criticized the Indian media for making a big deal out of the loss against Pakistan. He also hopes to see India and Pakistan reach the finals of the T20 World Cup and have a rematch.

Akhtar pointed out that the media has built an aura of invincibility around the Men in Blue which ends up backfiring every time the team loses. There is no breathing room for the players as they’re constantly under the cosh every time they lose.

“Why does the Indian media portray that their team cannot lose a match? This is cricket. Pakistan comprehensively beat India and the same can happen to Pakistan. That’s the beauty of the game. I still think they can reach the finals and I would love to see the repeat fixture of India-Pakistan as the World Cup final.”

“The journey will be a bit difficult but they possess the quality to overcome this task. I understand why media do it, it is their business. I will never understand how ex-cricketers who have played cricket at the highest level use such foul language against their own cricket team after they suffer a defeat. It is extremely disappointing,” Akhtar said.

“The win against India was absolutely crucial for Pakistan” – Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar further underlined the importance of the 10-wicket victory against India. He believes the next generation would have watched the comprehensive victory and gotten inspired to repeat the feat in the future.

“This win was absolutely crucial for Pakistan, not because India is our enemy but because Pakistan has suffered a lot in recent past. From 2009, Pakistan cricket suffered, and then the New Zealand episode happened. This win is important because watching the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen, our children will want to emulate them which is an ultimate victory for us,” Akhtar concluded.

Pakistan now moves on to face New Zealand on Tuesday. A win for the high-flying Pakistanis puts them in good stead for the remainder of the tournament.

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