In a recent tri-series held in the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan secured a victory against Pakistan, avenging their earlier loss. The fourth match of the series saw Afghanistan triumph over their neighboring country by 18 runs. This win followed their initial success in the tournament, where they defeated the UAE. Afghanistan showcased a strong performance against Pakistan, with their spinners effectively containing the Pakistani batsmen. The defeat sparked widespread criticism and mockery of Pakistan on social media.
Pakistan’s batting performance against Afghanistan was notably poor. Haris Rauf, a fast bowler, was the top scorer for Pakistan. Social media platforms were flooded with reactions, including one fan’s comment: “You must clearly remember what Shoaib Akhtar had said—he was absolutely right. This was the Sharjah pitch, but when they have to play on the Dubai pitch, remember, they won’t even be able to score 130.”
Another social media user humorously labeled the team a joke.
Further observations highlighted that Haris Rauf, batting at number ten, had the highest strike rate for Pakistan at 212.50. Notably, Babar Azam, despite being Pakistan’s leading T20I run-scorer, had not achieved such a feat throughout his T20I career.
Criticism of the Pakistan cricket team was also evident, with one fan stating on social media, “We kept saying again and again that on these pitches, these waste players won’t be effective—the team needs Babar Azam. But they didn’t care, and today Afghanistan easily defeated Pakistan and proved that all these players are just waste material.”
Another fan pointed out that Pakistan’s loss was a result of their own errors, allowing Afghanistan to repeatedly gain momentum both during the bowling innings and the run chase.
In the match, Afghanistan, batting first, scored 169 runs for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs. Pakistan, in response, managed only 151 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs, leading to an 18-run defeat.