World Cup 2023: Result not in our hands, says Shaheen Shah Afridi on Pakistan’s chances of semi-final berth

Shaheen Shah Afridi was ecstatic as he was nearing the landmark of 100 wickets in ODIs. Going into Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Shaheen was only one wicket short of the milestone.

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“It’s a big achievement for me and for Pakistan. I still remember my debut match and now I’m close to 100 wickets. I’m happy and looking forward to it,” Shaheen was quoted as saying to Star Sports before the match.

Pakistan will go into the match after losing to South Africa by one wicket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Tabraiz Shamsi hit Mohammad Nawaz for a four through fine leg as Pakistan slumped to their fourth defeat on the trot in the ongoing tournament.

“As a team we collapsed, you win as a team and lose as a team. We gave our best but the result is not in our hands. We performed our best but a loss is a loss, we will try our best in the next three games,” Shaheen stated.

Shaheen, in the meantime, heaped praise on Mohammad Wasim Jr, who breathed fire against the Proteas. Wasim Jr finished with figures of 10-1-50-2 as he got the wickets of Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen.

“There isn’t much swing early on, length is crucial. We saw hard length is very important and that’s what we’ve been trying as a bowling group. Wasim was struggling in the past but the way he bowled in the nets and proved himself was a good sign for Pakistan. He proved that he can play when he got the chance,” Shaheen added.

Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, are currently placed seventh in the table with four points and a net run rate of -0.387 thanks to wins in two out of six matches.