Shoaib Akhtar took a dig against New Zealand after Pakistan defeated them at the ICC T20 World Game at Sharjah.
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Pakistan registered their second win of the ICC T20 World Cup by defeating New Zealand at Sharjah. This win has virtually confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Babar again won the toss and invited the Blackcaps to bat first. New Zealand never get going in the innings, and they managed to score just 134 runs. Mitchell & Conway scored the highest with 27 runs, whereas Williamson scored 25 runs. For Pakistan, Rauf scalped four wickets, whereas the rest of the bowlers also bowled well.
Pakistan also didn’t have the best of the starts. Babar departed early, whereas the Rizwan also played a slow knock. At one stage, they were struggling at 87-5, but then came Malik and Asif Ali. Both of them carried their bat and earned a five-wicket victory for Pakistan.
There has been a lot of scrutiny over New Zealand in Pakistan after the Blackcaps left the Pakistan tour due to security issues.
Shoaib Akhtar on New Zealand
Akhtar has been quite vocal on New Zealand after they left the tour in between. Even before the world cup game, he trolled the Blackcaps.
I request all Pakistan fans to remain silent and not enjoy too extravagantly. There is every chance that New Zealand may ask for the match to be called off due to too much noise inside the stadium, if not for security concerns. #T20WorldCup 😉
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 26, 2021
After the World Cup win, Akhtar didn’t hold back against New Zealand.
“Congratulations to New Zealand that they didn’t come to Pakistan but were you safe in the UAE as well? We forgot to send security within the field because we thought maybe you wouldn’t feel safe on the ground as well,” Akhtar said.
He also instated the fact that Pakistan is a safe country to play cricket. “I have a request for all Pakistanis and Indians, and all my fans, to please send an e-mail to the New Zealand cricket board that – PAKISTAN IS A SAFE COUNTRY BUT NOT A SAFE TEAM TO PLAY AGAINST,” he stated.
Shoaib Akhtar also expressed his wish to see an India vs Pakistan final. “So, we (Pakistan) saved you (India). We want you to make it to the finals. And we are ready to take on you in the finals,” Shoaib added.
