The Pakistan cricket team became the first top-6 nation to ever lose an entire T20I series to Afghanistan, hence registering an unwanted record. After winning the first T20i comprehensively, Afghanistan continued their march in the second match, winning the series with one game to spare. Pakistan, who had decided to rest a number of senior players for the series, saw their decision backfire as multiple fringe players failed to make the opportunity count. One of the Pakistan players who left fans disappointed was wicket-keeper batter, Azam Khan.
Azam Khan lasted for only 4 deliveries in the second T20I against Afghanistan, scoring just one run. As he was heading back to the pavillion, a fan was spotted body-shaming him with gestures. The video has gone viral on social media.
Azam had a forgettable series, having been dismissed for a duck in the first T20I. Not just his batting but also his wicket-keeping had left the fans disappointed, with some even deciding to highlight his below-par fitness as the reason behind his poor performances.
As for the match, Pakistan's captain for the series, Shadab Khan, said that his players seemed nervous as many of them were playing for the senior team for the first time.
"It was a good score. We were struggling again. If you look at stats, if you lose 3 wickets in powerplay, you lose 70 percent of the games. I think there's nervousness - they're playing for the first time for Pakistan (the new batters). We have to back them. Sometimes you don't perform but attitude matters. That's more important for me. They have talent. They will be great cricketers. Will play for pride tomorrow," he said at the post-match presentation cermeony.
Having been given a target of 131 runs, Afghanistan reached home on the penultimate ball of the match. At one stage, the hosts needed 22 runs to win from 12 balls. Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi produced an excellent partnership to take the team home with one ball to spare.