Legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes that India’s defeat against Bangladesh in the last Asia Cup Super Four game came as a sigh of relief for Pakistani fans.
The loss did not actually matter much for Team India as they had already secured their berth in the Asia Cup final. India qualified for the final having earned a 41-run win over Sri Lanka in the penultimate Super Four fixture.
Following that, Sri Lanka got the better of Pakistan to become the second Asia Cup finalist. Babar Azam’s men had to face severe backlash after they crashed out of the continental tournament. Despite the disappointment, Pakistani supporters got a reason to celebrate when India lost to Bangladesh by six runs on Friday, according to Akhtar.
ALSO READ| Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi Involved in Heated Exchange After Pakistan’s Asia Cup Exit: Reports
Speaking about the match on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar said, “Finally, some relief for Pakistan fans, including me, that India have lost the game.” He also claimed that the Indian players took Bangladesh lightly which resulted in the defeat. Labelling it as a “wake-up call for India,” the former Pakistani speedster said, “India have lost the game. Embarrassing loss. We can’t criticise too much. Bangladesh are here to play.”
Akhtar then brought out the reference to Pakistan, who entered the Asia Cup as the top-ranked ODI team in the world. But they failed to match the expectations. The Babar Azam-led side dominated the group stage and finished at the top of Group A, followed by India. But their performance took a downturn in the Super Four stage. In the end, a two-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in a must-win game knocked Pakistan out of the competition.
ALSO READ| IND vs SL: Will Rain Play Spoilsport in Asia Cup 2023 Final? Reserve Day? All You Need to Know
While fans lashed out at Pakistani players for the defeat, Shoaib Akhtar believes Sri Lanka prevailed on the occasion as the deserving team. “People were criticising Pakistan, saying that they got beaten up. Sri Lanka are a good team, not an average team. The same is the case with Bangladesh. They are all playing international cricket,” the 48-year-old said.
During the YouTube session, Shoaib Akhtar further discussed India and Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming ODI World Cup. According to him, it is too early to predict the favourites as it can be “anyone’s game.” Akhtar assumes small teams will also shine in the marquee tournament this year which can make the task difficult for the giants.
“We are saying that Pakistan and India are favourites at the World Cup. These two, along with Australia and England, will reach the semis. This is not the case. Small teams will trouble them,” the former cricketer explained.
Comments
0 comment