Afghanistan cricket fans have lashed out on Pakistan cricket team after a footage emerged of their cricketers imitating Rashid Khan's bowling action. Afghanistan cricket fans slammed them for supposedly insulting the spin-wizard, labelling it as a childish act. A few section of fans also deemed Pakistan cricketers as unprofessional for acting the way they did.
Pakistan seamer Hassan Ali and all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed were spotted mimicking Rashid's bowling action, while Usama Mir and Mohammad Haris were on the sidelines breaking into laughter. With Rashid Khan building a massive stature for himself in international cricket, the video didn't go down well with their fans.
A few Indian fans also joined in to deride the act. Notably, Afghanistan secured a convincing victory over Pakistan in the 2023 World Cup fixture held in Chennai. Batting first, half-centuries from captain Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique led Pakistan to 284. In reply, Afghanistan openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz calmly stitched a 130-run partnership. Later, Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi hit the winning runs to script an eight-wicket win.
Ibrahim Zadran dedicating his Player of the Match award to the refugees moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan further irked the Pakistan fans.
Here's how Afghanistan fans have reacted to Pakistan cricketers imitating Rashid Khan:
Afghanistan and Pakistan face improbable route to the semi-final:
Nevertheless, both Afghanistan and Pakistan have virtually been knocked out of the semi-final after New Zealand's win over Sri Lanka on Thursday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Pakistan must beat England in their final group match in Kolkata by 287 runs and only bat first.
By contrast, Afghanistan must defeat South Africa in the ongoing clash in Ahmedabad by a staggering 400 runs. Nevertheless, Afghanistan have had a stellar tournament, securing wins over Pakistan, England, Netherlands, and Sri Lanka.
