"Still haven’t forgotten the final against India in 2007"- Sohail Tanvir ahead of World Championship of Legends decider
Retired Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir has stated that the 2007 T20 World Cup final defeat to Team India is fresh in his mind as they take on the arch-rivals on Saturday in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) decider. The left-arm speedster admitted that Pakistan must be at their best to clinch the title against a strong Indian side.
The 2007 T20 World Cup final held in Johannesburg is etched in the minds of one and all as Pakistan lost narrowly by 5 runs in a nervy finish. The two sides will meet in Birmingham on Saturday in the decider as it promises to be an enthralling encounter.
Tanvir, who had grabbed figures of 4-0-29-1 in the 2007 final, stated that Pakistan will take confidence from beating India earlier in the tournament, but believes India will come back hard in the decider. As quoted by CricketPakistan.pk, the 39-year-old said:
"We have one step left. India vs Pakistan final will always be huge no matter where it is played and which league, people will watch. We won the pool match against them but the final is final. I still haven’t forgotten the final against India in 2007. So, let’s see what happens tomorrow, we will do our best to be on the victorious side."
Pakistan's only loss in the WCL has come to South Africa and beat the West Indies to get there. Meanwhile, India had lost to Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan earlier in the tournament.
"There was a great disappointment for people due to Pakistan’s performance in T20 World Cup 2024" - Sohail Tanvir
Tanvir further claimed that Pakistan's poor performance in T20 World Cup 2024 motivated them to perform well and give fans something to cheer about. Tanvir added:
"There was a great disappointment for people due to Pakistan’s performance in T20 World Cup 2024, so we talked that the Legends league may not have the same level but people will be happy. We saw the response and got the motivation that people are following this league."
"When we came here, Younis [Khan] bhai, Shahid [Afridi] bhai and all the other players, we talked that people in Pakistan are crazy for cricket, so our goal was to bring happiness to those who were watching us play, I mean it couldn’t be the same as World Cup but it would be something, that was and is our motivation."
The Men in Green had registered a massive 68-run victory against India earlier in the competition.