Pakistan’s luck ran out in the World Cup final on Sunday, as they were upset by England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Green Shirts had made a game of it after a poor batting performance but an impressive bowling recovery until star pacer Shaheen Afridi’s sudden injury forced Babar Azam to rely on part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed in the 16th over.
The side was dismayed by the loss of the southpaw pacer, and when Iftikhar took his place, Ben Stokes promptly dispatched him for a couple of boundaries, ultimately ending the game.
Pakistan’s pacers, led by Shaheen and Haris Rauf, did an outstanding job of keeping their team in the game with only 137 runs to defend earlier.
Shaheen was superb in the first over, as expected, and got rid of Alex Hales. As previously stated, Pakistan’s luck was not on their side, as proven by the lanky pacer’s injury while accepting Harry Brook’s catch.
If Shaheen’s injury hadn’t occurred, the game may have been won by anyone.
