T20 World Cup 2022 final: " They were around 15-20 runs short" - Sunil Gavaskar believes Shaheen Afridi's injury wasn't turning point against England
Former Indian opening batter Sunil Gavaskar believes it wouldn't have mattered even if Shaheen Shah Afridi wasn't injured against England in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday Gavaskar said that Pakistan's total of 137 was never going to be enough.
Pakistan's pace spearhead Afridi's knee injury was a decisive blow in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The youngster seemed to twist his knee while taking a catch to dismiss Harry Brook. As a result, Afridi bowled only one ball of his third over before going off the field.
Congratulations @ECB_cricket. You are worthy champions.
Enjoy and celebrate this moment, and we look forward to hosting you in December for the three-Test series.
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Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar reckoned Pakistan stood a better chance of win had they made 150-155 and Afridi's injury didn't matter much.
"I don’t think so, as they didn’t have enough runs on the board. They were around 15-20 runs short. Had they got to 150-155, they would have had a better chance and their bowlers would have had a bit of a cushion. But I don’t think the 10 deliveries that Shaheen didn’t bowl would have made that much of a difference. Maybe Pakistan would have got another wicket, but England would still have won."
After England captain Jos Buttler elected to bowl first, his bowlers did a commendable job to keep Babar Azam and Co. to 137. Sam Curran, who won the player of the match and tournament awards, bagged figures of 4-0-12-3.
Ben Stokes powers England
Pakistan's pace quartet did their best to make a game of it in favoruable bowling conditions. Afridi set the tone by knocking off Alex Hales for 1 in the first over.
The Ben Stokes roar 💪 🔥 https://t.co/PKrExrc9KW
Haris Rauf got rid of Phil Salt and dismissed captain Buttler, but Ben Stokes remained unfazed. Along with Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone, the star all-rounder took his team over the line.
England's victory also meant they claimed their second T20 World Cup crown, having won their first in 2010.