‘They cannot play him’ - Former PAK PM Shehbaz Sharif takes indirect dig as Shaheen Afridi dismantled Indian batters in Asia Cup clash

Team India and Pakistan took on each other in match 3 of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Both sides faced each other at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Saturday, September 2, and as India decided to bat first, the side’s top order fell prey to the brilliant bowling of ace pacer Shaheen Afridi.  

As always, Afridi wreaked havoc on India’s top order as he dismissed skipper Rohit Sharma and ace batter Virat Kohli quite cheaply. Seeing the brilliant showing of Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to take an indirect dig at the Indian batters. 

"THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM," Shareef tweeted, replying to a previous tweet of his. 

“THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM” https://t.co/wYmOCFezDR

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 2, 2023

Earlier, Shareef tweeted Shaheen’s name when he took the first wicket and sent Indian skipper Rohit Sharma packing in match 3 of the Asia Cup. 

Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma for 11 runs, whereas Kohli was sent packing for just four runs. Afridi’s brilliant performance against the Indian top-order gained him major traction.

India versus Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match called off as rain played spoilsport

Speaking of the game, after the horrid showing by the Indian top-order, it was the performances of middle-order batters Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Kishan scored 82 runs in 81 deliveries, whereas Pandya scored 87 runs off 90 deliveries. Their brilliant performances in the middle-order helped team India reach a score of 266 runs in 48.5 overs. However, as rain played spoilsport, the match was eventually called off as Pakistan did not get the chance to bat. 

As a result, both teams were awarded one point each as Pakistan made it to the Super Four stage of the tournament. On the other hand, team India will next take on Nepal for their second game of the competition, and the side will be keen on putting in a good performance to progress further into the tournament.