Pakistan suffered a five-wicket defeat against England in the T20 WC final.
Defending the paltry total of 137, Pakistani bowlers tried their heart out to take the game deep but England rode on Ben Stokes’ unbeaten 52 off 49 balls to get over the finishing line with one over to spare.
After the game, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar said that even if Shaheen Afridi had completed his quota of four overs, Pakistan would have lost the final against England.
During the 13th over of England’s innings, Shaheen seemingly injured his knee after taking Harry Brook's catch. The left-arm pacer returned to the field and tried to bowl but could not continue. He could bowl only 2.1 overs out of his four overs.
“I don’t think so, as they didn’t have enough runs on the board. They were around 15-20 runs short. Had they got to 150-155, they would have had a better chance and their bowlers would have had a bit of a cushion,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“But I don’t think the 10 deliveries that Shaheen didn’t bowl would have made that much of a difference. Maybe Pakistan would have got another wicket, but England would still have won,” he added.
Following the match, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam acknowledged that his side was 20 runs short while also adding that Shaheen’s injury "put them off".
“We fell 20 runs short and the boys fought well with the ball. Our bowling is one of the best attacks in the world. Unfortunately, Shaheen's injury put us off, but that is part of the game," Babar stated.