Azhar Ali recently took a subtle dig at Shoaib Akhtar’s comments after the Pakistan Cricket team defeated England in the first T20I. Shoaib Akhtar recently slammed the Pakistan team for their dismal show in the ODI series against England.
Shoaib Akhtar came down heavily on the national team. The Rawalpindi Express stated the game would never grow if the players kept producing such below-par performances.
“Crowd are coming to the ground but after watching such performances, the fan following will never grow. There is no star to inspire the youngsters. Then how can you bring the next Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, or Wasim Akram? You have to build a brand,” Shoaib Akhtar had said on his YouTube channel
Azhar Ali then posted a tweet that was a dig at Shoaib Akhtar’s comments. He said:
“Ye fans Kis ko dekhnain aye they? (Translation: Whom did the fans come to see?)
After Pakistan’s victory over England in the first T20I, Azhar Ali attached a picture of the Pakistani fans who had come to cheer their team.
Ye fans Kis ko dekhnain aye they??🤔🤔🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/3DfjFsGFNL
— Azhar Ali (@AzharAli_) July 17, 2021
Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir also joined the banter and replied to Azhar Ali’s tweet.
🤣🤣🤣🤣msg kar k poch lo ajju bhi woh bata sakte hain jis ne bola tha 🤪🤪🤪
— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) July 17, 2021
Shoaib Akhtar Praises Pakistan After The First T20I
Pakistan put up 231 runs on the board in the first T20I. Shoaib Akhtar praised the team after their thumping win.
Following the win over England in the shortest format, Akhtar stated that the hosts might have underestimated the Pakistan team while branding the Men in Green as one of the best T20 teams in the world.
“England may have underestimated the Pakistan team. Maybe they didn’t understand that Pakistan is one of the best T20 teams in the world. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Pakistan wins the T20 World Cup this year. England needs to realize that the World Cup is going to be in the UAE and it is not going to be easy for them.”
The two teams will resume their rivalry in the second T20I tomorrow. The visitors will hope that they can carry on with the momentum they gained after winning the first T20I.