Shaheen Shah Afridi is confident that Pakistan is very close to lifting the T20 World Cup as the Green Shirts came close to it in the previous two editions where they reached the semi-final and final in 2021 and 2022 respectively, according to Karachi-based Pakistani Television channel Geo Super.
Afridi cited the example of his Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars who finished at the bottom in starting seasons but became the only team to win the title back-to-back.
"It's not possible that you put in the hard yards, and you don't get the results. Like Lahore Qalandars put in the hard work for six years (in PSL)," Shaheen said in a podcast with PCB.
"They did the player development program as well and despite finishing at the bottom in the early years, they won back-to-back tournaments recently.
"And the Pakistan team is in a similar process, we're very close to achieving [T20] World Cup glory."
Afridi got unlucky in the final against England in 2022 as he walked off the field after hurting his knee while taking a catch. Pakistan couldn't defend the 138-run target and lost the title.
"You're disheartened if you get so close and still lose the World Cup. Both events were painful. We were hurt after the first loss (2021) and in the second event, I couldn't help the side because I was injured. I tried my best to come back [on the field] but I wasn't allowed to do so," Shaheen said while talking about the incident.
"Our efforts during the World Cup is to play in a united fashion. This isn't a time for disagreements. Everyone should follow the same process in a united way to achieve a singular goal."
Shaheen then talked about Gary Kirsten, who will be serving as Pakistan's head coach in the World Cup and stated that he said something that stayed with me.
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