With Pakistan pacer Shahnawaz Dahani joining the national team the day they were knocked out of Asia Cup 2023, fans have taken a jibe at the youngster. However, a certain section of fans have also sympathized with Dahani as he reached Sri Lanka only to travel back home the very next day.
Dahani was called up as a replacement for Haris Rauf, who felt a little 'discomfort in his right plank' for the remaining matches of Asia Cup 2023. On September 13th, the 25-year-old posted about his departure for Colombo on his social media account and reached the destination the very next day when Pakistan were playing Sri Lanka.
Nevertheless, Babar Azam and co. failed to make it to the Asia Cup 2023 final, losing to Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in a rain-affected fixture.
Babar Azam fails to make substantial contribution but Mohammad Rizwan leads Pakistan to a strong total:
While Babar walked in with plenty of expectations, he couldn't translate into a memorable performance, falling to left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage for 29. When the match began after a two-hour rain delay, the match was reduced to a 45-over contest. By the time, the showers returned, the Men in Green were 130-5.
However, Rizwan shared a 108-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed to lead Pakistan to 252 in 42 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka suffered a late collapse, but the 100-run stand between Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama was the bedrock of their win. It was Charith Asalanka, who stayed till the end and hit the winning runs.
Here's how netizens trolled Shahnawaz Dahani: