After Pakistan’s heartbreaking loss to England in the T20 World Cup Super 8, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar went on an angry rant on air, questioning captain Salman Ali Agha’s leadership and expressing regret over the dash to his team’s semi-final hopes.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Even before the competition, Akhtar revealed his emotional investment in the show “Game On Hai” and the hopes the competition inspires. “I just hope England play badly so we can take two points happily,” he said. “If India are eliminated and we reach the semi-finals, our joy will know no bounds.”
But those hopes were dramatically dashed at Palleke, as England completed a tense 166-ball chase on the back of captain Harry Brooke’s stunning 51-ball 100 – the first hundred by a captain in T20 World Cup history.Pakistan had England in trouble at 58/4, but Brooke’s coolness and crucial partnerships turned the tide of the match, sealing England’s semi-final berth and throwing Pakistan’s campaign into crisis.The failure triggered an emotional breakdown for Akhtar, who publicly questioned Salman’s credentials.In a viral reaction, Akhtar suggested that Salman was “not the man to captain”, a remarkable about-face considering he had earlier supported the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to appoint him.The situation in Pakistan is now precarious. After losing to New Zealand, their semi-final fate is no longer in their own hands. They have to beat Sri Lanka and hope the other results go their way.Two wins for New Zealand will eliminate Pakistan directly, while other combinations can play on the net run rate.
