'Hindustan, we have reached Melbourne'- Shoaib Akhtar urges India to beat England in the semis and set up a dream final against Pakistan

Pace icon Shoaib Akhtar has wished India luck for their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal encounter against England on Thursday, November 10. A win here for the Men in Blue will set up a title clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the iconic MCG this weekend.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have already qualified for the final after their impressive seven-wicket victory over an in-form New Zealand side in the first semifinal that was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

We are waiting for you: Shoaib Akhtar

"Hindustan, we have reached Melbourne. We are waiting for you. I wish you best of luck that you defeat England and arrive in Melbourne. It was in Melbourne that we defeated England in 1992 final. Now the year is 2022. The years are different but the numbers are same. I want a India-Pakistan final. Let's play one more time. We need one match. The whole world is waiting with baited breath," said Akhtar in a video posted on his official Twitter handle.

Dear India, good luck for tomorrow. We'll be waiting for you in Melbourne for a great game of cricket. pic.twitter.com/SdBLVYD6vm

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 9, 2022

If England win, then it would be a repeat of the 1992 World Cup final where the Imran Khan-led side lifted the coveted trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

However, should India come out on top in the second semifinal, then it would be the second T20 World Cup final encounter between these two sides. The arch-rivals had faced off in the summit clash of the inaugural edition in 2007 where the Men in Blue survived a scare from Misbah-ul-Haq to emerge victorious by five runs.

The last time these two teams met in an ICC tournament final was in the 2017 Champions Trophy where the Men in Green outplayed the Indian team in a one-sided contest by a mammoth 180 runs. Meanwhile, Pakistan will be eyeing their second T20 world title having won the tournament back in 2009 at Lord’s under the leadership of batting icon Younis Khan. This marks their third final appearance in the competition.