T20 World Cup 2022: "Pakistan have shown they are beatable" - Shoaib Akhtar lauds Babar Azam and Co. for overcoming South Africa
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has lauded the Men in Green following their commanding win over South Africa in Sydney on Thursday (November 3). Akhtar praised Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed for showing that the Proteas are beatable.
Pakistan headed to Sydney facing a must-win clash against the Proteas. They aced the challenge despite crashing to 40-4 at one stage. After making 185, the Men in Green restricted South Africa to 108-9 to win the rain-affected encounter by 33 runs.
Impactful performance by our boys today. I love it when they prove me wrong. You never know which Pakistan turns up on which day!!
Bowlers, come on. Go & win it from here. https://t.co/NcTbNGEn6d
Speaking in a video uploaded on Twitter, Akhtar hoped that Pakistan would somehow qualify for the semi-finals, having overcome the Proteas, who were the only unbeaten side in the Super 12 stage. He said:
"What a great comeback from the Pakistan cricket team. Well done! No one was able to beat South Africa but Pakistan have shown they are beatable. I really, really hope our prediction goes wrong and Pakistan somehow try to qualify for the semi-finals."
Spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan was one of the chief architects of the victory with his all-round performance. Following his explosive 22-ball 52, he returned with figures of 2-0-16-2, with his two scalps coming in the first over.
"Why did Pakistan not play him before?" - Shoaib Akhtar on Mohammad Haris
Shedding light on Mohammad Haris' 11-ball 28, the Rawalpindi Express stated that he was surprised the right-handed batter had been benched prior to Thursday's match. Akhtar added:
"Well done, Shadab. Well done, Iftikhar. Again, you have proven so many people wrong, including me. You have done an amazing job! Haris, where was he? Why did Pakistan not play him before? Pakistan have done a wonderful job. I am happy that Pakistan were able to post a good total on a good batting pitch."
2️⃣2️⃣-ball 5️⃣2️⃣ and a double-strike in his first over 🌟
@76Shadabkhan bags the player of the match award for his all-round heroics 🏆
#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #PAKvSA https://t.co/cFaBrOWCsW
Thursday's result was Pakistan's second win of the tournament after beating the Netherlands convincingly. The 2009 World T20 champions made a poor start to the competition, losing close games to India and Zimbabwe.
Babar Azam and Co. will face Bangladesh in their last pool match of the competition.