T20 World Cup: Shoaib Akhtar says India will bow out from semi-finals

Babar Azam-led Pakistan suffered a huge blow to their T20 World Cup semi-final hopes on Thursday after their one-run defeat to Zimbabwe in their Super 12 Group 2 contest, and that was met with huge criticism from many, including former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar.

Soon after the game, Shoaib on his official Twitter account on Thursday, had launched a scathing attack on Pakistan team and its management, terming the defeat as ‘embarrassing’.

And later on Thursday night, Akhtar seemed to even take a dig on the Indian team, predicting that India would bow out from the semi-final stage next week.

“I had already told Pakistan that they will come back this week. And India will come back next week after playing in the semi-final. Voh bhi koi Tees Maar Khan nahi hai (India are also not some unbeatable side) and we are even worse,” Akhtar said on his official YouTube channel.

With two wins in two matches, India already have four points, and will all but secure a place in the semi-finals if they beat South Africa in their third match on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Akhtar went onto blame the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for selecting ‘unworthy players’.

“Your performances are average. Enjoy, and keep selecting unworthy players. Don’t let in good people. I’m not talking about myself. The job can go to hell. I’m just worried that the country suffers because of this. Don’t bring cut-for-role people, who are disciplined and know how things work. You’ve ruined everything,” said Akhtar.

Pakistan will hope for a quick turnaround in the tournament when they face Netherlands on Sunday (30 October). That will be followed by games against South Africa (3 November) and Bangladesh (6 November). All their next three games are must-win matches, and Pakistan will hope to avoid any more further slip-ups.