"Han bhai Babar ki hi galti hai phir se" - Fans react hilariously to Pakistan’s 21-run loss to New Zealand in 2nd T20I
Pakistan lost the second T20I to New Zealand by 21 runs at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, January 14. With the loss, the Shaheen Afridi-led side fell 0-2 behind in the five-match T20I series.
Chasing 195, the visitors were bundled out for 173 in 19.3 overs. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman starred with the bat but failed to take the team past the finish line.
Babar smashed 66 runs off 43 balls, including two maximums and seven boundaries, while Zaman hit 50 off 25 deliveries, with the help of five sixes and three boundaries. The duo added an 87-run partnership to help Pakistan recover from 10/2. Afridi also chipped in with 22 off 13, including two maximums and one boundary.
Adam Milne starred with the ball for the Kiwis, returning with figures of 4/33, while Tim Southee, Ben Sears, and Ish Sodhi bagged two wickets apiece.
Asked to bat first, the hosts put up 194/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Finn Allen top scored with 74 off 41, hitting five sixes and seven boundaries.
Haris Rauf emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, finishing with figures of 3/38, while Abbas Afridi bagged two wickets. Aamer Jamal and Usama Mir settled for one wicket apiece.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) roasted Pakistan for back-to-back losses to New Zealand in T20Is. One user wrote:
"Han bhai Babar ki hi galti hai phir se (Yes brother, it is Babar's fault again)."
Here are some more reactions:
“We could have kept them down to around 170” – Shaheen Afridi reacts to Pakistan’s loss to New Zealand in 2nd T20I
Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi was disappointed with the bowling unit as the Men in Green lost to New Zealand by 21 runs. The speedster said that the bowlers leaked 20-odd more runs during the inital overs that cost them the game. He said in the post-match show:
“To be honest, bowling first is always tricky. You can try to go for swing to get wickets, but we didn’t get any. Had we got early wickets, we could have kept them down to around 170. I think we came back strong with the ball. Haris and Abbas bowled really well, even Usama Mir.”
The third T20I between the two teams will be played at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday, January 17.
Click here to check out the NZ vs PAK full scorecard.