Pakistan’s bowlers Sunday did not disappoint, as they kept English cricketers on edge with their bowling attack in the T20 World Cup final match against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
Despite scoring 137 for eight wickets and hand-ing out a low chase to England, the team’s bowling line-up performed at par with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Wasim.
Shaheen knocked over Alex Hales in his first over, Rauf snatched two massive wickets from Eng-land after dismissing their skipper Jos Buttler and Phil Salt.
Shadab sent Harry Brook back to the pavillion, while Mohammad Wasim clinched Moeen Ali’s wicket.
While the Green Shirts aren’t returning home with the T20 World Cup trophy, they’re getting immense appreciation for their perseverance in the tournament and for making it to the finals, especially with a lot of the credit to its bowling attack.
Here are some the reactions that the team is al-ready getting from netizens on Twitter including the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who deemed the bowler’s performance “great”.
Team Pakistan fought back hard & brave. Great bowling performance. But England played better today. We are proud of our boys in green for making it to the final match of this mega tournament.
President Arif Alvi also praised the team for the “all-round performance”. Congratulations England, good all-round performance to lift the cup. Well played Pakistan, you bowled good and tried your best despite a low score.
While veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi wasn’t happy with the batters, he called the bowling line-up’s effort “outstanding”.
The batting side dug a hole that even the worlds best bowling couldn’t fill. Outstanding effort by the team to get to the final against all odds and a great game of cricket. England came well prepared. Chin up boys, we are the runners up of the T20WorldCup.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Shaheen’s injury had a major impact on the outcome of the game.
“Pakistan have once again been brilliant to watch. They being so much to the world game,” he tweeted.
British sports writer Will Macpherson was also all praises for the Pakistan cricket team.
Cricket analyst Aakash Chopra said only Paki-stan could’ve stretched England that far. British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner said England won the trophy but Pakistan won hearts.—Agencies