"Pak Fastest to reach and return from the Moon"- Top 10 funny memes after Pakistan escape with a narrow win in a thrilling 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan
Pakistan beat Afghanistan by one wicket in the second ODI on Thursday, August 24, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota. With the win, they have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat first in the contest after bundling out for 59 in the chase last game.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (151) and Ibrahim Zadran (80) played well and helped their side reach a decent total of 300/5 in the first inning.
In response, Pakistan top-order batters Imam-ul-Haq (91) and Babar Azam (53) hit fluent half-centuries in the top order to set up a good platform for their side.
However, the middle-order batters failed to cash in, as the Men in Green found themselves in trouble after being reduced to 211/6.
Shadab Khan (48) played a fighting knock at this juncture and took his side to near the target. Unfortunately, Shadab got run out at the nonstriker's end in the final over, leaving the job incomplete. Naseem Shah (10*) provided the finishing touches with two fours to seal the game for Pakistan.
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed the thrilling contest between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday. They expressed their reactions through some engaging memes on social media platforms.
Here is a collection of the best memes related to the 2nd ODI:
"I think today was my day, and I tried to be as calm as possible": Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Player of the Match, Shadab Khan, reflected on the victory and said:
"When you are a senior player, you go through these stages repeatedly, sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed. I think today was my day, and I tried to be as calm as possible. Their team had world-class bowlers, I tried to see them off and take on the fast bowlers.
Shadab added:
"The boundaries were long, it's easier to score ones and twos. The plan was to go for twos when Naseem came in, and grab the odd ball. After that shot against Zimbabwe, we lost that game. I kept blaming myself after that. That was a crucial moment, I was thinking we were out of the tournament. I made up my mind not to play that shot ever again."
Pakistan and Afghanistan will lock horns in the final ODI of the series on Saturday, August 26 in Colombo.