Historical context: This article concerns comments made by former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar ahead of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Akhtar expected a difficult contest

Akhtar said he expected India to prepare carefully for its next T20 World Cup meeting with Pakistan and argued that another Pakistan victory would not be easy.

His comments followed Pakistan's 10-wicket victory over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Melbourne match

Pakistan and India were scheduled to meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23, 2022.

Akhtar discussed the conditions in Melbourne and suggested Pakistan could benefit from bowling later in the match because of the assistance he expected fast bowlers to receive. That was his cricketing assessment rather than a guarantee about match conditions or the result.

Large crowd expected

The former fast bowler also anticipated a major crowd for the match, reflecting the intense interest that accompanies Pakistan-India cricket.

What happened later

The match was ultimately played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23, 2022, with India winning by four wickets.

This article records Akhtar's pre-match comments in their historical context rather than presenting them as a current prediction.