Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is furious after the Indian team won the T20 World Cup. Akhtar compared the Indian team to a rich kid who dominates poor kids in street cricket.
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India’s title win at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is being discussed worldwide. While most cricket legends praised Team India’s performance, former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar sparked a new debate with an absurd statement. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8th, to win their third T20 World Cup title. Team India became the first team to successfully defend a T20 World Cup title and win it as a host country.
Shoaib Akhtar stated on Tapmad’s show “Game On Hai” that India’s dominance is bad for cricket. Akhtar said, “It’s like a rich kid in a neighborhood calling poor kids and saying, ‘Come, let’s play cricket.’ India is doing the same thing. They keep four out of eight teams, then promote three of them, and then say we’ve won.” According to me, he has completely ruined cricket.
Look at the hypocrisy of Shoaib Akhtar, on one hand he is saying such things and on the other hand he is listening to the criticism of India. pic.twitter.com/jKKDGtWqtu
— Neeraj Ranjan (@NeerajRanjan84) March 9, 2026
Shoaib Akhtar’s statement sparked a debate on social media. Many fans interpreted it as a bitter reaction to India’s big win. Interestingly, Akhtar’s stance before the final was somewhat different. He described India as a strong team and said that New Zealand would be under immense pressure, although he wanted the Kiwis to win the title in the best interest of cricket.
Shoaib Akhtar had said, “I think New Zealand may come under pressure against India, but India also faces the pressure of the expectations of 1.5 billion people. Still, I think India can win, but it would be better for cricket if New Zealand wins the World Cup.”
Akhtar Heaps Praise on Gambhir
Amidst criticism, Shoaib Akhtar praised Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir. He said that trusting the players plays a crucial role in a team’s success in major tournaments. Former Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir also offered a surprising response to India’s victory. He said that the New Zealand bowlers’ poor strategy also played a major role in India’s victory.
In the final, India batted first and posted a mammoth 255/5 in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson scored 89 runs off 46 balls. Abhishek Sharma (52 runs) and Ishan Kishan (54 runs) also contributed half-centuries. In reply, New Zealand were bowled out for 159. Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets for 15 runs, while Axar Patel returned figures of 3/27.
