A small mistake on Babar’s part, I think, he added. 15-17 overs from the spinners in that situation, which I don’t think is right. The attack should always be there. You need wickets, you don’t defend in that situation.

However, he also paid tribute to the classic ODI partnership of Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya in the middle order. Both of them are adept at all types of hitting game but are comfortable rotating the strike, turning singles into doubles. It was a very solid, sensible game, especially from Ishan Kishan’s side.

India needed what they created. They used their intelligence and didn’t defend too much, brought India back into the match by commanding the field, he said.

Superstar Shaheen

After Shaheen Afridi made four cues in the match against India in the Asia Cup, he got some words of praise from Akhtar

What a great shot by Shaheen, what a great bowler he is, Akhtar said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. Everyone knows how he is going to bowl: putting the ball into play, using swing and seam, but the Indian batsmen had no answers.

After rain delayed the match midway through the fifth over, Afridi returned and immediately hit Rohit Sharma’s stumps with a superb innings. Akhtar said the constant delays were hampering the Indian batsmen’s concentration but he did not say anything against Afridi.

Shaheen Shah is a superstar, he said. 1472