"They will paint me as anti-Pakistani" - Danish Kaneria on criticism for Pakistan's performance vs Afghanistan in 2023 World Cup

Danish Kaneria said he isn't criticizing Pakistan's poor performance against Afghanistan on Monday because he doesn't want to be called an "anti-Pakistani".

The former leg-spinner, who represented the country in 79 international matches, has been a staunch critique of their showing so far in the 2023 World Cup.

Pakistan lost the match in Chennai by eight wickets as underdogs Afghanistan chased down the 283-run target in 49 overs.

This was Afghanistan's only third World Cup win ever and the first against Pakistan. It was their highest-ever ODI run chase as well. This was Pakistan's third loss in five matches.

"I am seeing on my timeline almost every person is abusing or angry over Pakistani team’s performance in World Cup. But if i will say something, they will paint me as anti-pakistani #PAKvsAFG," he tweeted during the innings.

The tweet was in the initial phase of the 96-run third-wicket partnership between Ibrahim Zadran and Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65 off 53) laid the foundation of the chase; Zadran (87 off 113) and Rahmat Shah (77 off 84) carried it forward. Shahidi (48 off 45) calmly put an end to the chase.

It was the third big upset of the 2023 World Cup. Afghanistan were also a part of the first when they thumped defending champions England in Delhi.

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Babar Azam is nowhere near Virat Kohli: Danish Kaneria

One of Kaneria's most criticized statements in Pakistan came a few days ago when he said their captain Babar Azam was "nowhere near" India's senior batter Virat Kohli in terms of quality.

"Virat Kohli is a maestro," Kaneria said on October 10. "There is no bigger player than him. People compare Babar Azam to Virat Kohli, but Babar Azam is nowhere near him. The way he guided India to a victory against Australia was not easy. Yes, he did get a chance, but dropped catches are part and parcel of the game. Losing and impossible are two words that don't apply to Virat Kohli."

Babar's set to receive more criticism over his captaincy and bowling changes against Afghanistan.