While applauding Shaheen Afridi, the former prime minister of Pakistan makes a subtle jab at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, starting a trend

A match between India and Pakistan is not your average cricket game. No matter how much cricket players on both sides attempt to downplay it, there is undeniable tension on the field as well as among spectators, past players, and even politicians. The Asia Cup 2023 Group A encounter, which took place on Saturday at the Pallekele International Stadium, was the most recent installment in the illustrious rivalry between these two cricketing superpowers.

Rain may have forced a washout, but Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya each had their share of brilliant moments. Shaheen’s stint with the new ball was so effective that former Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a strong response to it.

Shaheen did not have a good beginning. He was much too full in his attempt to eliminate India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill early. He crossed some of Rohit’s pads, for which he received a boundary clip. The left-arm pacer’s career was about to have a rare off day until, in the fifth over, rain saved the day. Shaheen had a chance to reconsider during the little wait of 15-20 minutes.

He was a completely different bowler when play restarted. He had the match’s captain of India, Rohit, out of the game in only three balls with an almost unplayable delivery. He removed Virat Kohli in the next over. Although Rohit’s delivery was better than this one, the key was the change in length.

Shaheen somewhat shortened himself, and that helped him a lot. After the rain break, he made another adjustment. He made the decision to smash the pitch hard rather than trying to swing the ball. The latter led to the ball that hit Kohli. The ball did not get to Kohli as soon as it should have because of the dual nature of the Pallekele pitch, and the former India skipper pulled it back onto his stumps. Shaheen was the first bowler to dismiss both Rohit and Kohli in the same ODI, finishing with the statistics of 4/35.

These are Sharif’s posts.

Shaheen’s spell left a lasting impression on Shehbaz Sharif. He gave the left-arm pacer accolades on X (previously Twitter). But in doing so, he made a subtle jab at Kohli and Rohit, two of India’s most recognizable players. The former Pakistani prime minister wrote, “THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM.”

Instantly going viral, the post received a range of responses from cricket lovers across the world. “They cannot play him,” began to trend, and Wahab Riaz, a former Pakistani bowler, joined the chorus.

Resuming the game, following Shaheen and Haris Rauf’s early surge, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya performed a brilliant rescue job, but rain forced India and Pakistan to divide the points in an Asia Cup encounter that had all the makings of a spectacular conclusion here on Saturday. India scored 266 all out in 48.5 overs prior to the heavens opening. To help their team recover from being 66 for 4 in 14.1 overs, Kishan (82 off 81 balls) and Pandya (87 off 90 balls) milked 138 runs for the fifth wicket off 141 balls.

Pakistan finished Group A play with 3 points thanks to the no-result, which also guaranteed them a spot in the tournament’s Super Four. India is predicted to defeat Nepal on Monday and advance to the Super Four after earning a point from their initial match.