Pallekele, Feb 25 (UNI) Former Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis said Pakistan fell short of a competitive total and lost control in the middle overs despite a strong bowling effort from Shaheen Shah Afridi during their defeat to England cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Younis said Pakistan needed 15–20 more runs on the board.
“In the first innings, Pakistan didn’t score enough. On this pitch, they needed another 15-20 runs. A total of 175-180 would have been par. Then Harry Brook came in at number three and took complete control. It was chanceless batting; he was superb. He single-handedly took the game away from Pakistan,” he said.
He added that while Pakistan bowled well in phases, their spinners failed to make an impact and conceded too many easy runs.
Younis, however, praised Afridi’s spell, saying, “Shaheen bowled beautifully. His control of length was impressive. He picked up key wickets, which is what he is known for. It was a quality spell, and one he can build on.”
He also pointed out lapses in the field. “Pakistan allowed easy runs in the field. When they had control, they looked sharp. But once the pressure eased, their intensity dropped. That’s where they missed the trick,” he said.
Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan scored 63 off 45 balls, while contributions from Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Shadab Khan helped Pakistan cricket team post 164/9.
In reply, Afridi’s 4/30 reduced England to 58/4, but Brook struck a match-winning 100 off 51 balls, adding crucial partnerships with Sam Curran and Will Jacks as England chased down the target to seal a semi-final spot.
Younis said Pakistan still have an outside chance of progressing depending on other results and net run-rate.
