Playing number one, Pakistan set a 138-run target for England at the MCG in the T20 World Cup final before Afridi suffered a knee injury in the 13th minute of England’s inning when he caught Harry Brook in the long-off. He initially waddled, but soon returned and got the ball in the 16th round. At that point, England needed 41 runs from 30.

But it was already clear on the first ball that Afridi would not be able to continue playing. For 2.1 overs, Afridi took the wicket of opener Alex Hales, while allowing 13 economy runs. England continued their pursuit of the total score with six balls remaining and five wickets in hand.

Obviously, winning the World Cup for your country is every player’s dream, he told ESPNCricinfo. And in this tournament (2022 T20 World Cup), if I hadn’t got injured at such a crucial moment, maybe we would have won. Maybe if I had been in shape and bowling… An injury can happen at any moment.

When asked how often he still thinks about that game, he said: If I think about them too much, I can’t move forward.