After India’s impressive 61-run win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026, former Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar praised India’s performance and criticized Pakistan’s collapse. With this victory, India now leads the T20 World Cup matchup 8-1.
“We were completely outplayed. Shaheen was bowling at only 125 kmph, which is not sufficient in modern Cricket. These players struggle under pressure. There’s been a lack of investment in the last 15-20 years. We once competed closely with India, but now we can’t even imagine defeating them,” said Shoaib Akhtar on ABP News.
He went on to criticize the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, stating, “What can you expect from someone who knows nothing about cricket? The team can’t function like this. While Babar Azam has been made a star, he can’t win matches alone. The biggest mistake is entrusting important roles to incapable people.”
Akhtar labeled Naqvi as unfit for his role, calling him incompetent.
From the start of the match, India took charge. Ishan Kishan set an aggressive tone with 77 runs off 40 balls, helping India reach a strong total of 175. Pakistan struggled to keep up, as India’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout the innings. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel each took two wickets.
Pakistan was bowled out for just 114, further extending India’s lead in the rivalry to 8-1. This match highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing difficulties against India’s spin bowlers, making it clear how one-sided the contest had become as it progressed.
