‘Chorna nahi hai’ – Shoaib Akhtar wants Pakistan to go hard at New Zealand in the 2021 T20 World Cup

Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was seething with anger after New Zealand pulled out of their tour of Pakistan. The Black Caps abandoned their tour moments before the start of the first ODI on September 17 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. New Zealand Cricket released a statement, mentioning that they pulled out of the bilateral series after ‘security threats’.

On Saturday, the Kiwis returned to their home country after the Pakistan Cricket Board arranged a chartered flight for them. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Prime Minister, earlier said that safety and security of the cricketers was of top-most priority above anything and everything.

In the meantime, Shoaib wanted Pakistan to go out firing on all cylinders against the Black Caps in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The Men in Green are set to face the Kiwis on Tuesday, October 26 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Shoaib’s message was loud and clear. Pakistan are scheduled to begin their campaign against India on Sunday, October 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan has gone through worse times, says Shoaib Akhtar

“To start with, we have a match against India. Out next big game is against New Zealand on October 26. In that game, we have to take out our anger. First and foremost, the PCB should sort out their selection issues and include the 3-4 guys needed in the eleven so that Pakistan looks stronger than ever,” Shoaib was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.

“The World Cup will be the time to vent out all our frustration. This is what Pakistan team needs to do and they need to stay focussed. There’s nothing to worry about as Pakistan has gone through worse times,” he added.

To rub salt into Pakistan’s wounds, after New Zealand, England have also backed out from their tour in October. The England men’s and women’s teams were set to play ODI and T20I series next month. However, the ECB released a statement, mentioning about their withdrawal.

“The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England Women’s and Men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” an official ECB statement said.