Shahid Afridi misses T20 World Cup glory in the West Indies
Kangaroos with their irrefutable performance in the T20 semifinal showed the world that why they are the most successful team in the world. In a nerve-racking and breathtaking contest, both Australia as well as Pakistan played some fabulous and stunning cricket. The excitement prolonged until the final overs of the match when Michael Hussey swept the Pakistani bowlers away.
Despite the disappointment of falling short in the dying overs of the match, the green shirts deserve the appreciation for their overall performance in the semi-finals.
The Pakistan team showed a united performance against the Aussies but unluckily, they failed. After setting a target of 192, defending champions Pakistan had Australia on the back foot. A place in the final of the tournament seemed likely for them but the kangaroos came from nowhere to reach a target of 192 runs. Michael Hussey’s superb innings , including three sixes in the last over, ensured to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a thrilling end. The innings helped Australia power through to the finals, where England whitewashed the Ashes rivals.
The mighty Australians not only taught a good cricketing lesson to the green shirts but also reminded them of their defeats in their tour down under.
The ill-fated defending champions came back home on Wednesday, five days after their defeat against the mighty Aussies. However, it was evident that the players were still in agony.
Skipper Shahid Afridi said thrashing Kangaroos was his aim after they faced a setback in all formats of the game, including ODI, Test series, and a T20 international, earlier this year.
Commenting on the stunning defeat at the hands of Australia, Afridi commented that the outcome was the biggest disappointment of his career. He could have never expected such a great comeback from Australia in the final overs.
"We conceded 38 runs in the last two overs, it is unbelievable and stunning," he said
At the same time, he defended his move to hand over the last over to Saeed Ajmal.
"I know a lot of people criticize the decision to bowl Ajmal in the last over, but I still maintain that he is a match-winner and bowled us to victory in the last over against South Africa a match earlier," Afridi added.
Afridi has requested his fans to accept the result.
"I would request fans to accept this result and support the team because we are coming out of difficult times in our cricket."
Current and former cricketers are criticizing Afridi’s captaincy but left arm fast bowler Wasim Akram, a legendary name in the history of cricket, has defended Afridi.
While speaking to the media, Wasim said that it would be unfair to blame Afridi. For the first time, Afridi was leading the team in a World Cup so he was certainly under pressure. He has done well throughout the tournament and should be given the due credit.
This defeat should not disappoint Pakistan. It was just not Pakistan's day. They should be proud that they kept the Australians on their toes until the final overs.
One must keep in mind that Pakistan, known to cave in straightforwardly, struggled well until the end which was beyond the expectations of their fellow citizens. There is no shame in this kind of a defeat.
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