Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Aakash Chopra took a dig at the Pakistan cricket team's batting following an early collapse during their ICC World Cup 2023 opener against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.
The Green Shirts made fans remember the old days as their top order, which consisted of Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and skipper Babar Azam, failed considerably.
Pakistan lost openers Zaman (12) and Imam (15), along with Azam (5), in the first 10 overs with less than 50 runs on the board.
Chopra took to his X, formerly known as Twitter, account and trolled Pakistani batting, calling them "predictably unpredictable".
However, after losing three important wickets, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel built an astounding 120-run partnership to give their side a much-needed breakthrough.
Rizwan lost his wicket after scoring 68 off 75 while Saud, who was making his World Cup debut, scored an important knock of 68 runs off 52, which included 10 boundaries, with an impressive 130.77 strike rate.
However, after the two batters departed for the pavilion, the Green Shirts lost Iftikhar Ahmed soon enough and were 188-6.
But, a late 64-run stand between Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan helped the Green Shirts cross the 250-run mark.
It must be noted that the Netherlands sent Pakistan in to bat in their World Cup clash in Hyderabad on Friday after skipper Scott Edwards won the toss.
Pakistan picked two frontline spinners in Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz alongside fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali.
The Netherlands, the only Associate side in the World Cup, have Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, and Saqib Zulfiqar as their spin options.
Teams:
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf
Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O´Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (captain), Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren