PSL 2023: "It’s An Admirable Thought" - Alan Wilkins Speaks Out In Support Of Shaheen Afridi After Shoaib Akhtar's Baffling Comment

PSL 2023: “It’s An Admirable Thought” – Alan Wilkins Speaks Out In Support Of Shaheen Afridi After Shoaib Akhtar’s Baffling Comment

Last Update on: February 22nd, 2023 at 01:25 pm

The cricketer-turned-commentator Alan Wilkins has defended Shaheen Afridi after Shoaib Akhtar chastised the left-arm pacer for leaving the field injured in last year’s T20 World Cup final against England.

In a recent local TV interview, Akhtar stated that Shaheen blew a good opportunity to become Pakistan’s biggest celebrity by failing to complete his over at a critical moment in the aforementioned match.

Shaheen Afridi, a sensational left-arm fast bowler for Pakistan, had just fully recovered from a knee injury prior to the T20 World Cup 2022. Afridi’s knee ailment, which had somehow gotten worse, prevented the pacer from bowling the final two of his four required overs in the competition final, which pitted Pakistan against England. This was a significant contributing role in England defeating the Men in Green and taking home the first T20 World Cup trophy while England chased down 138 and won the match.

Shaheen received sympathy from the cricketing community, but months later, on a chat show on Suno TV, former Pakistan fast bowling sensation Shoaib Akhtar criticized Shaheen. He claimed that he would have preferred to die than stop bowling in the summit match if he had been in Shaheen Afridi’s place in the final.

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“If was in his place, in those twelve minutes, I could have become a national hero. I would have stood up even if I fell every time I bowled. I would have taken injections and painkillers, to make that leg numb and bowl. If people would try to stop me from saying ‘I will die’, I would have said that I will prefer to die but can’t let the World Cup slip from our hands. This was the moment one could have become a superstar. If I was there, I would have died for my country. I could get my broken knee fixed but can’t bring that moment back,” Akhtar said.

Alan Wilkins comes out in support of Shaheen Afridi:

The former cricketer-turned-commentator disagreed with Akhtar’s assessment in a tweet on Tuesday and instead supported the left-arm pacer’s choice to leave the field.

It’s an admirable thought but it is also a long time after the event. @iShaheenAfridi couldn’t have bowled on one leg even though he’s got the biggest heart in the team! https://t.co/aTJRmam48q
— Alan Wilkins (@alanwilkins22) February 21, 2023

“It’s an admirable thought but it is also a long time after the event. Shaheen Shah Afridi couldn’t have bowled on one leg even though he’s got the biggest heart in the team!” he tweeted.

Shaheen Afridi took 11 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022, ending as Pakistan’s biggest wicket scorer in the major competition.

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