The 8th edition of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 in Australia was intriguing, compelling and competitive at the same time. Four teams including India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England made it to the semis.
In the end, Pakistan locked horns with England in the final in Melbourne. The game was evenly poised for some time and then it slightly tilted towards Pakistan’s favour, at least till the 16th over of England’s run-chase.
Despite posting a modest total of 137/8 on the board, Babar Azam and Co used the bowlers properly by keeping the England batsmen in check. Even the dangerous Ben Stokes couldn’t switch gears at that time.
The game of cricket saw an uncertain incident that saw Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi hurting his knee in the process of taking a catch, which forced him to sit out of the game for the last two overs.
Shahid Afridi slams Shoaib Akhtar for his statement on Shaheen Afridi
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam brought Iftikhar Ahmed in to complete Shaheen Afridi’s quota of third over. It was when the game started to take shape in England’s favour as they raced towards the trophy.
Eventually, Ben Stokes hit the winning run as England went on to lift the second T20 World Cup trophy. Meanwhile, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on Shoaib Akhtar after the latter said Shaheen should have taken painkillers at that moment since it was a crucial final.
In response to Shoaib Akhtar’s remark, Shahid Afridi echoed that taking painkillers come with plenty of side effects on the body. He further added that painkillers should be taken in a disciplined manner.
The former Pakistan skipper added that he even used to take painkillers during his playing days. Even though the pain vanishes off for a while, it does take a toll on the body after the match.
