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Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria rubbed salt on the wounds of the legendary Shoaib Akhtar as he mocked him on social media following Babar Azam-led side's crushing loss to India in the 2023 Cricket World Cup last week.
Shoaib Akhtar, among the most active retired Pakistan cricketers on X, expressed his disappointment over the absence of fighting spirit among the national cricket team members during their World Cup fixture against India in Ahmedabad.
He pointed out that the Pakistani players captained by Babar Azam had no “fire” within, lacking intensity on the ground.
“Sawa lakh banda akele chup kerwanay k liye fire chahiye hota hai. Yeh sirf tab ho sakta hai jab aap k andar wo aag ho,” the Rawalpindi Express wrote on the influential messaging app.
Replying to Shoaib Akhtar's criticism of the Pakistan cricket team, Danish Kaneria posted, “Aag thandi ho chuki hai. Wapas jalao Shoaib bhai”.
Before Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar and legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar engaged in a hilarious exchange on the microblogging platform.
Shoaib Akhtar and Sachin Tendulkar's eye-catching conversation on Twitter came amidst Team India's comprehensive victory over Pakistan in Saturday's Cricket World Cup match in Ahmedabad.
Before the match, Shoaib Akhtar trolled Sachin Tendulkar as he shared a picture on X, in which the former was celebrating the wicket of the Indian batter in a Test match when the two were active cricketers.
After Rohit Sharma and his teammates pummeled Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat, Sachin Tendulkar fired back at Shoaib Akhtar with a cheeky reply.
“My friend, aap ka advice follow kiya aur sab kuch billlkoool THANDA rakha,” Sachin Tendulkar posted on the microblogging platform.
Shoaib Akhtar responded to Sachin Tendulkar's dig by writing back, “My friend you're the greatest player of all times to have graced the game and the biggest ambassador of it. Our friendly banter doesn't change that for sure.”
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar's former batting partner, Virender Sehwag, had fun at Shoaib Akhtar's expense.
After watching Pakistan capitulate against India, Shoaib Akhtar posted on X, “Wah re yeh khamosh chokkay.”
In reply, Virender Sehwag took a dig at Shoaib Akhtar as he stated: “Shayad khamoshi ke chauke dekhkar Pakistani batsman ne jaldi jaldi pavillion lautne ki thaan li. Jhel nahi paaye yaar pressure Haha..Koi nahi Shoaib Bhai. Na Ishq Na Pyaar mein.. Jo Maza 8-0 ki haar mein!”
If one analyzes Pakistan's performance in the game against India, the Babar Azam-led side produced a batting display that was very Pakistan-like in Motera.
At 155/2, Pakistan had 300 in sight as two of its most senior batters, captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, were batting together in the middle.
As it appeared Pakistan was in control of the proceedings against the Indian bowlers, Mohammed Siraj produced a gem to dismiss Babar Azam, who fell for fifty off 58 balls.
Subsequently, the Pakistan middle order fell like nine-pins, with Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah emerging as the destroyers-in-chief of the Green Army's batting line-up.
Eventually, the Pakistan cricket team was dismissed for 191, with their last eight wickets adding only 37 runs on the scoreboard.
With India needing 192 to register their eighth successive victory over Pakistan in 50-over World Cups, the Men in Blue were off to a flier, with Rohit Sharma smashing the ball over the park.
Rohit Sharma, who struck a blistering hundred in the last match against Afghanistan, appeared in great nick as he dealt in boundaries and sixes throughout his knock in Motera.
The Pakistani bowlers were helpless in front of Rohit Sharma's onslaught as the Indians were on their way to a commanding win over their neighbors.
Though India lost Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in quick succession, with both contributing 16 runs each, Shreyas Iyer joined Rohit Sharma in the middle, and their 77-run partnership almost sealed the home team's triumph.
But against the run of play, Rohit Sharma, steadily moving toward his second consecutive century in this edition of the World Cup, lost his wicket to Shaheen Shah Afridi as he mistimed a slower ball from the premier Pakistan speedster.
After Rohit Sharma's departure, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul ensured there were no more hiccups for Team India, as the hosts completed a seven-wicket triumph with more than 19 overs to spare.
However, Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur tried to find an excuse to skirt the blame for his side's poor show against India on the event's organizers.
Mickey Arthur's remarks came in the context of the heckling of Pakistani cricketers, including Muhammad Rizwan, with “Jai Shri Ram” chants during the Babar Azam-led side's clash with Team India.
“Look, I'd be lying if I said it didn't. It didn't seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn't hear ‘Dil Dil Pakistan' coming through the microphones too often tonight,” Mickey Arthur said in the post-match press conference.
“So yes, that does play a role, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse because for us it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian, the Indian players tonight,” the Pakistan coach added.
However, his comments did not go well with former cricketers, drawing a sharp response from them.
“I wondered why Pakistan lost home series vs both Aus and Eng, but thanks to Micky Arthur now I know it was because stadium DJ didn't play ‘Dil Dil Pakistan' enough and majority of fans were wearing blue jerseys,” ex-India opener Wasim Jaffer stated.
“DJ wale babu mera gana baja do…I mean seriously???? Did we hear Sri Lanka complain about the fact that the Hyderabad crowd was chanting ‘Pakistan Jeetega'?? I'll be genuinely surprised if the DJ at Narendra Modi Stadium played ‘Dil Dil Pakistan' even once today,” former India batter Aakash Chopra mentioned.
“(He) diverting attention. A lot of people are disheartened and you're making them emotional. I think he should discuss what is his job as a professional rather than showing a new path. As a coach, he shouldn't have said that,” Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan underlined.
