Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistan bowler, and Shafiq Stanikzai, a former Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman, got into a heated debate on Twitter after an unpleasant scene broke out between fans of both teams in Sharjah during the Asia Cup 2022.
On Wednesday, the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, which is now ongoing, took place in Sharjah, and featured a nail-biting drama between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Naseem Shah started the last over by hitting back-to-back sixes on the first two balls, helping Pakistan win by one wicket and secure their spot in the final alongside Sri Lanka. However, once the game was over, unsavoury incidents unfolded inside the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan supporters, visibly disheartened by their team’s loss, were spotted destroying seats and physically abusing Pakistan supporters.
Afghan fans can be seen destroying chairs and then tossing them in the direction of Pakistani supporters in a video that was released by a former Pakistani bowler who played for Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar.
“The fans in Afghanistan are acting in this manner. This is something that they have done in the past on a number of occasions. This is a game and it’s supposed to be played and treated in the correct spirit. @ShafiqStanikzai, if you and your players want to advance to higher levels in the sport, both your fans and your players need to get some knowledge “In a message he made on Twitter, Akhtar said.
Akhtar received a response from Shafiq Stanikzai, who served as the former head of the Afghanistan Cricket Board. In his response, Shafiq Stanikzai told Akhtar that nobody can control the emotions of fans and that he should not bring an entire nation into the conversation when discussing an incident of this nature.
“You have no control over the feelings of the spectators, and instances like these have occurred several times in the history of cricket; you should inquire with Kabir Khan, Inzimam Bhai, and @iRashidLatif68 about how we dealt with them. Am providing you an advice next time baat ko nation pe Mat lena, “wrote Stanikzai.
During the match between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan batted first and produced a score of 129/6 in 20 overs. Pakistan’s score was 209. At one point, with the score at 87/3 in the 16th over, Pakistan appeared to be well on their way to achieving their target of 130. After that point, Pakistan’s performance deteriorated to the point where they reached 118/9 in the penultimate over.
Naseem Shah was the one who saved Pakistan when they needed 11 runs to win in the final over. He was the one who turned out to be the hero.
Following the victory that ensured Pakistan’s spot in the Asia Cup final, the Pakistani players celebrated in an ecstatic manner, and Sharjah witnessed some wild scenes as a result.
