PAK vs ENG 2022: “Itne selfish players” - Shaheen Afridi shares quirky tweet after Pakistan’s 10-wicket triumph over England in 2nd T20I

Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi took a hilarious dig at the detractors of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan after his team’s 10-wicket triumph over England in Karachi in the second T20I on Thursday, September 22.

Babar roared back to form with an unbeaten 110 off 66 balls, while Rizwan was not out on 88 off 51 as Pakistan chased down 200 in 19.3 overs. Following the thumping victory, the hosts squared the seven-match T20I series at 1-1.

Over the last few weeks, questions have been raised about Pakistan’s opening duo by some former cricketers from the country as well as fans. According to them, Babar and Rizwan do not bat quickly enough in T20Is.

Following Pakistan’s dominating win on Thursday, Afridi took the opportunity to troll critics of the team’s opening batters. Sharing a witty post, he wrote:

“I think it is time to get rid of Kaptaan @babarazam258 and @iMRizwanPak. Itne selfish players. Agar sahi se khelte to match 15 overs me finish hojana chahye tha. Ye akhri over tak le gaye. Let's make this a movement. Nahi? 😉”

On a serious note, he added:

“Absolutely proud of this amazing Pakistani team.”

While Babar brought up his second T20I hundred during the chase, Pakistan also registered their highest ever opening stand in the format. The Pakistan captain struck 11 fours and five sixes, while Rizwan smashed five fours and four sixes.

Earlier, England put up a competitive 199 for five on the board after winning the toss and batting first. Skipper Moeen Ali top-scored with an unbeaten 55 off 23 balls. Ben Duckett also contributed 43 off 22 balls, but that wasn't enough as the hosts cruised to victory.

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“Always had the belief” - Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on overcoming poor form

Pakistan captain Babar was named Player of the Match for his fantastic hundred in the second T20I. At the post-match presentation, the 27-year-old asserted that he was confident of overcoming his poor form. He said:

“I always had the belief and you need that as a sportsman. The team always supported me and kept backing me.”

Babar revealed the chat in the dressing room before they set out to chase 200, saying:

“The discussion was we can chase it down, we have done it before and that was the belief in the dressing room. The wicket always plays better under lights and it played better than what we expected. The discussions with Rizwan were to finish the match.”

The third T20I of the seven-match series will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday, September 23.