World Cup 2019: Kamran Akmal says India his favourite team since start of tournament

India had defeated Pakistan in Manchester on June 16. The Pakistan team was slammed for its insipid performance in the high-profile game.

Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal wished good luck to both India and New Zealand ahead of the first semi-final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup and said India has been his favourite team since the start of the tournament. India won 7 out of their 9 league matches to top the table. Australia finished second, England were third while New Zealand who shared 11 points with Pakistan, qualified for the semi-finals thanks to a superior net run rate. India had defeated Pakistan in Manchester on June 16. The Pakistan team was slammed for its insipid performance in the high-profile game. However, Pakistan bounced back to stay in the hunt for the semis after that defeat. But they needed a huge victory margin over Bangladesh to stand a chance of qualifying for the last four, India and New Zealand were the only unbeaten teams in the World Cup for a while before the Black Caps lost 3 matches. India lost their only game to hosts England and that result further complicated Pakistan's chances of reaching the knockout stage. This is the 7th time India are in the semi-finals of a World Cup while New Zealand have made it to semis for the 8th time.