T20 World Cup 2021: "Our whole country knows about your sacrifices, hats off to you" - Shoaib Akhtar on Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan

Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praise on the Afghan duo of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi for the sacrifices they've made for Afghanistan Cricket. His statement came in the wake of Pakistan's third consecutive victory in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021, against Afghanistan.

The Afghan cricket team gave Pakistan a run for their money during the tightly-contested encounter in Dubai. Batting first, the Afghan batters had a rocky start and kept losing wickets regularly. However, a courageous effort by Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib dragged their side from 76/6 to 147/6 after 20 overs.

While defending the total, the in-form Afghan spinners kept the Pakistani batters at bay and didn't let the Babar Azam-led run away with the game. However, Asif Ali's heroic quadruple of sixes in the 19th over took Pakistan over the ropes and crushed the hopes of Afghan fans.

Shoaib Akhtar, while reviewing the high-octane clash, posted a video on his official YouTube. In his video, the 46-year-old lauded the two mega stars of Afghan cricket, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.

Akhtar acknowledged the duo's sacrifices and passion for the beautiful game of cricket. Here's what Akhtar had to say about the current and former Afghan skippers:

"Our whole country knows about your sacrifices and the help you're doing for Afghanistan cricket, we even know that. You are so passionate. You guys take the fan’s pressure and then go on to play. I was talking about Rashid and Nabi. Hats off to you guys."

The two produced phenomenal performances against Pakistan yesterday. First with the bat, Nabi played a crucial knock of 35* runs, before taking the crucial wicket of Fakhar Zaman with the ball. Rashid Khan, as always, shone with his leg-spin deliveries and had figures of 4-0-26-2 after his four overs.

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"You have played great cricket with such limited resources" - Shoaib Akhtar appreciated the Afghanistan team's efforts

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has faced a number of difficulties, especially after the Taliban's takeover this year. However, the team's spirited performance in the T20 World Cup 2021 proved their plucky character.

Former cricketer-turned-expert Shoaib Akhtar also extended his support to his neighboring nation. Recognizing that the Nabi-led Afghan side gave Pakistan a stern test, he said:

"My full support to the Afghanistan Team. I am standing with you. You have played great cricket with such limited resources. You guys gave Pakistan a tough time out there. Hats off to you. We love you as a country, as a nation."

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan's next fixtures are against Namibia on October 31 and November 2, respectively.

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