‘Mai tod deta ghutna, ghutna jud jayega baad mein’: Shoaib Akhtar says Shaheen Afridi should’ve bowled despite injury vs England in T20 WC Final

Afridi had sustained an injury during Pakistan's defence of 138 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against England while attempting Harry Brook's catch in the deep during the 13th over.

Shaheen Shah Afridi receiving treatment at the boundary after picking up a knee injury during the T20 World Cup final, Shoaib Akhtar. (AP/YouTube)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said that despite picking up a knee injury in the 2022 T20 World Cup final against England, Shaheen Shah Afridi should’ve completed his spell.

“Ye tha vo moment jahan par aap superstar ban sakte the. Agar main hota, to main Pakistan ke liye mar jaata. Mai tod deta ghutna, ghutna jud jayega baad mein. Ye lamha vapas nahi aata. (This was the moment, where you could have become a superstar. Had I been in his place, I would have sacrificed by life for Pakistan’s sake. I wouldn’t care if my knee broke, it would have healed again. But, this moment would have never come back again),” Akhtar told Suno TV.

It isn’t the first time Akhtar has reiterated on his belief. Following the final last November, the 47-year-old had told Zee News, “When your main bowler becomes unfit, then it creates problem for you. Shaheen (Afridi) was never fully fit, but we cannot put the entire blame on him as he bowled well in the past 2-3 matches. But this is World Cup final. Even if the leg breaks. Whatever happens, happens. Just keep running and do something. But this was not in our fortune.”

Shoaib Akhtar’s statement about Shaheen Afridi. He believes Shaheen should have bowled the two overs against England in the T20 World Cup final through pain to become Pakistan’s biggest superstar.

Do you agree with him? pic.twitter.com/wJNaTEkRdG

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 20, 2023

Afridi had sustained an injury during Pakistan’s defence of 138 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against England while attempting Harry Brook’s catch in the deep during the 13th over.

Story continues below this ad

Even though the left armer came back on to bowl after receiving a short treatment at the boundary, Afridi felt discomfort only after bowling his first delivery in his third over. England eventually went on to win the summit clash by five wickets with an over to spare. The 23-year-old had been included in the Pakistan squad just ahead of the tournament in Australia, having recovered from the same injury he picked up in the final.

“Unfortunately Shaheen’s injury put us off, but that’s part of the game,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam would say post-match.

Afridi marked his return to professional cricket during the 2023 Pakistan Super League season.

Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.