T20 World Cup 2021: "Pakistan are itching to play against New Zealand" - Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes that Pakistan's match against New Zealand is going to be a high-intensity encounter after the latter cancelled their series in Pakistan at the last minute and flew home.

Pakistan finally ended India's unbeaten streak against them in the World Cup with a comprehensive 10-wicket victory on Sunday. Shaheen Shah Afridi was breathing fire with the new ball and set the tone for his side as he dismissed the two Indian openers early on, restricting India to 151 for 7.

Chasing a respectable total, Babar Azam led from the front alongside Mohammad Rizwan as the opening pair outplayed India to end their nation's drought in World Cups against their eternal rivals.

Reacting to his nation's victory, Shoaib Akhtar took to his YouTube channel to express relief and joy for Pakistan, reflecting on a tough period for the nation.

"We were demoralized. We haven't played cricket on home soil for 15 years and when New Zealand was finally going to come but their bailing out didn't help our cause either. So when India against Pakistan came along, this win was important for the country of Pakistan. The win is so important for us because it helps us unite Pakistan cricket. If we win the World Cup, we have a chance of inspiring a generation. We don't want to rub the loss into India's face. It is bigger than that for us."

While their dominant win against India was widely celebrated on the streets of Pakistan, Akhtar was quick to shift his attention to Pakistan's next game, which will be against New Zealand.

"India is always a big game and the win was great but we as a nation are unhappy with New Zealand. It is a big game for us. We are itching to play against them and we have to win the match against them," Akhtar added.

After the recent turn of events between New Zealand and Pakistan, this will be the first meeting between the two teams. It's fair to say that Pakistan will be treating this game as much more than a group stage game and will want a point to prove against the Kiwis.

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"There has never been a spat between Bhajji and me" - Shoaib Akhtar

While Pakistan were thrilled with their side's victory against their arch-rivals, Akhtar maintained that there is plenty of mutual respect between the the two nations.Akhtar believes that despite their former rivalry, he and Harbhajan Singh have always indulged in healthy banter. While both nations take that in good spirits, Akhtar called for former Indian players to show some respect for the current Pakistan players.

'There has never been a spat between Bhajji and me. We indulge in banter and we have our friendship and that's okay. Indian greats shouldn't say things like "I don't know this Pakistan players name". It doesn't reflect well. Now they know the names of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. We shouldn't do all this.'

Pakistan will play against New Zealand in Sharjah on Tuesday, October 26. While the Indians have a week's rest before their second match, they will also take on the Kiwis in their second Super 12 match in Dubai on October 31.