Pakistan Greats Shoaib Akhtar And Shoaib Malik Want New Zealand To 'Bring Their A-Game' In Champions Trophy Final
Former Pakistan stars Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik back Mitchell Santner's New Zealand against India in Champions Trophy final.
India and New Zealand face-off in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Former Pakistan stars Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik have a message for NZ’s Mitchell Santner.
Shoaib Akhtar feels New Zealand should not pay any attention to the idea that they are the underdogs in the final against India.
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“Ye bhul jana chahiye ki India samne hai, ye bhul jana chahie ki aap lesser team hai. (It should be forgotten that you are up against India, you should forget that you are the underdogs). You should forget that you are not good. Santner has that belief. I have seen it in him. As a captain, he wants to win the title," Akhtar was quoted as saying on ‘Game on Hai’.
Akhtar also advised Mitchell Santner that he should look to keep India captain Rohit Sharma under control, especially in the opening overs. If New Zealand can, The Rawalpindi Express feels that the Kiwis can win the title in Dubai.
“You have to do the right thing at the right time. You have to break the onslaught. Rohit Sharma will on the attack. He will try to neutralise your spinners. He will attack Santner. At that point, he has to handle his team as a leader," Akhtar said.
“If you ask me about odds I would say 70-30 to India. When it comes to batting, their spinners, and their maturity, but if New Zealand can bring their A-game on that day (they can win)," he added.
Shoaib Malik, on the other hand, said New Zealand batters should learn from Australia’s Steve Smith and the way he bossed the Indian spinners.
“What separates Indian batters is their ability to rotate the strike. That plays a huge role in taking them to a good total and even while chasing a good score. The innings that Smith played is a good example to negate the Indian spinners. He made use of then extra fielder in the circle, came down the track, tried to find the gaps. Thirdly, whoever gets into 20s-30s should try and get to 80s, 90s or 100," Malik was quoted as saying.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favourite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
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