"He's a statpadder in my book" - Fans react to Shaheen Afridi calling Mohammad Rizwan "the Bradman of T20 cricket"
Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was the center of trolls on X (formerly Twitter) after he praised team-mate Mohammad Rizwan.
Afridi commended Rizwan for crossing the 3,000-run mark in T20I cricket. The keeper-batter became only the second man from Pakistan to achieve this milestone on April 20 against New Zealand, where he scored 45 off 34 balls. after The former skipper, Babar Azam has scored over 3,700 runs in the shortest format.
However, the left-arm pacer received flak from fans after calling Rizwan the "Bradman of T20 cricket."
Below is Shaheen Afridi's tweet on Mohammad Rizwan:
This fan pointed out that Rizwan doesn't deserve a place in the T20I line-up due to his strike rate.
"He’s à Statpadder in my book. He deserves no place in t20 team. He’s suitable for 50 overs."
This fan put out a stat, which mentions Rizwan taking the most balls to reach 3,000 T20I runs.
Other fans offered their amusing takes on Afridi labeling Rizwan "the Bradman of T20 cricket."
"Bradman hit a total of 6 sixes in his entire career and he played test matches only. Rizwan is definitely the Bradman of T20," one fan commented.
"Bradman of t20 cricket with a strike rate of test cricket," another tweeted.
For the uninitiated, Australia's Don Bradman is regarded as one of the finest players to grace the cricket field. He slammed 6,996 runs at an average of 99.96, with 29 centuries.
Mohammad Rizwan pulls his hamstring as New Zealand level the series
The third game of the T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand in Rawalpindi witnessed the visitors securing a dominant seven-wicket victory.
Batting first, Shadab Khan (41) and Babar Azam (37) were the major contributors for the home team as they posted 178 on the board. Unfortunately, Mohammad Rizwan was forced to retire hurt on 22* off 21 balls due to a hamstring injury. Ish Sodhi was the pick of the bowlers for the Blackcaps, with two scalps.
In response, Mark Chapman (87) was sensational with his ball-striking to help New Zealand chase down the score with 10 balls to spare. Abbas Afridi took two wickets for the Men in Green.
The series is leveled 1-1, and the action now shifts to Lahore for the 4th T20I on Thursday (April 25).