Pakistan Pacer Believes They Are Very Close To T20 World Cup Glory
Shaheen Shah Afridi expressed confidence that Pakistan has a strong chance to win the T20 World Cup 2024, set to take place in the Caribbean and the USA. Since their title win in 2009, Pakistan has not been able to reclaim the trophy. They reached the semi-final in 2021 and the final in 2022 but faltered in crucial moments.
.@iShaheenAfridi joins us in the special 5️⃣0️⃣th edition of the PCB Podcast as he discusses his cricket journey, transitioning from being a U19 sensation in 2018 to an elite speedster and other topics 🎙️
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— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) May 17, 2024
Shaheen Afridi Optimistic For Pakistan
“It’s not possible that you put in the hard yards, and you don’t get the results. Like Lahore Qalandars put in the hard work for six years [in PSL]. They did the player development program as well and despite finishing at the bottom in the early years, they won back-to-back tournaments recently,” Shaheen said on the PCB podcast.
“And the Pakistan team is in a similar process, we’re very close to achieving [T20] World Cup glory,” he said.
Afridi highlighted that Pakistan would benefit from the hard work of the players and team management. He mentioned the Lahore Qalandars' journey, who struggled in the first four PSL seasons but won consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.
"You’re disheartened if you get so close and still lose the World Cup. Both events were painful. We were hurt after the first loss [2021] and in the second event; I couldn’t help the side because I was injured. I tried my best to come back [on the field] but I wasn’t allowed to do so,” Shaheen added.
In 2021, Pakistan won all their group matches but lost to Australia in the semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In 2022, they were defeated by England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Afridi acknowledged these 'painful' moments but emphasized moving past the disappointments.
Pakistan will begin their campaign on Thursday, June 6, against hosts USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
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