Former Pakistan pacer turned cricket commentator Wasim Akram revealed that his ‘good friend’ and former England cricketer Neil Fairbrother cried after England was knocked out of the Champions Trophy 2025 by Afghanistan on Wednesday, February 27. England’s Champions Trophy campaign officially came to an end after their 8-run defeat against Afghanistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. With a target of 326, England failed to chase it down despite Joe Root’s fighting 120 off 111 balls. Jamie Overton too put in his best efforts with a valiant innings of 32 off 28 balls, but his dismissal resulted in England falling short of the target, dashing hopes of advancing further in the tournament. The match against Afghanistan was crucial for England to stay alive in the tournament as they lost their opening match of the tournament against Australia. Two successive defeats in the group stage prevented them from progressing further in the Champions Trophy. Former England cricketers were disappointed with the team’s performance and Wasim Akram spoke about how he had to understand Neil Fairbrother as he broke down in tears after the team's shocking exit from the tournament. Also read: Champions Trophy, AFG vs ENG: Buttler avoids 'emotional decision' on captaincy future after England's exitSpeaking on Ten Sports show ‘The Dressing Room’, Wasim Akram stated that he had to remind his good friend Fairbrother that it was just a game and Afghanistan defeating England in Pakistani conditions was expected. “The way they are playing, the cricket-loving people of England must be quite upset. I just messaged my dear friend Neil Fairbrother, he literally told me 'I wept'. I told him, 'hang on buddy, it is just a game and it was always on the cards.” former Pakistan pacer said. Wasim Akram and Neil Fairbrother’s friendship dates back to the time when they played together for County team Lancashire. Fairbrother represented England in 85 matches across two formats of the game and amassed 2311 runs, including a century, at an average of 34.49. However, the former Lancashire cricketer has an incredible record in first-class cricket, amassing 20612 runs, including 47 centuries and 104 fifties, at an average of 41.22 in 580 innings. Wasim Akram criticized England’s squad selection for the Champions Trophy 2025. The former Pakistan pace bowling legend highlighted an imbalance in the team composition, adding that the team struggled to find a fifth bowler despite having eight specialist bowlers in the squad. "If you look at the England squad, you will see there are three specialist batters. There are eight specialist bowlers, but still, they fell short of a fifth bowler.” the 58-year-old added.“Joe Root was bowling. Can somebody explain to me why they picked a squad with a gazillion of bowlers," the former Pakistan captain added.England will play their final group stage match against South Africa at the National Stadium in Karachi on March 1, Saturday. Also read: ENG vs AFG, Champions Trophy: Fan joins Afghanistan players' celebration after win against England (WATCH)