"24 balls 56, superbly played" - Fans react sarcastically to Aamer Jamal's expensive spell in NZ vs PAK 1st T20I
Aamer Jamal, who recently starred with the ball during the Test series against Australia, failed to deliver in the first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, January 12.
The speedster leaked 56 runs in his four overs without getting a single wicket. He gave away 13, 18, and 19 runs in the fifth, 11th, and 13th over of the Kiwi innings, which propelled the hosts to a 200+ score.
Overall, he has scalped just one wicket in five T20Is for Pakistan, which came against England in 2022.
Jamal did star with the ball in red-ball cricket, bagging 18 wickets in three Tests against Australia, including two fifers. The 27-year-old is also a handy lower-order batter. The right-handed batter amassed 143 runs in six innings, with best score of 82 in Sydney.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) came up with mixed reactions to Aamer Jamal’s failure to carry his sublime form in Tests to T20I. One user wrote:
"24 balls 56, superbly played by him!"
Here are some more reactions:
Apart from Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir also leaked 51 runs without a single wicket in his four overs.
New Zealand set 227-run target for Aamer Jamal's Pakistan in 1st T20I
A clinical batting performance from Daryl Mitchell and captain Kane Williamson helped New Zealand post 226/8 against Pakistan in their allotted 20 overs on Friday.
Mitchell slammed 61 runs off 27 balls, hitting four sixes and as many boundaries. Williamson also scored 57 off 42 balls, including nine boundaries. Finn Allen, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips chipped in with scores of 35 (15), 26 (11), and 19 (11), respectively.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi and Abbas Afridi bagged three wickets apiece, while Haris Rauf scalped two wickets.
The Men in Green have successfully chased 200+ totals thrice in the past, with the highest chase being 208/3 in 18.5 overs against West Indies in 2021. They are currently batting at 57/1 after 4.4 overs against the Kiwis in this game.
The two teams will play the second T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, January 14.
Follow the NZ vs PAK 1st T20I live score and updates here.