"Protein Ki Kami Nahi...": Virender Sehwag Finds Another Reason To Blast Pakistan Team

One of the finest opening batters of his time, Virender Sehwag, was full of praise for Pakistan star Fakhar Zaman as he single-handedly kept the team's World Cup semi-finals hunt alive on Saturday. Fakhar's century helped Pakistan beat New Zealand in a rain-marred encounter, and Sehwag found it tough to wrap his head around the idea that the Pakistan team had decided to bench the opening batter for the most of the 2023 campaign. Seeing Fakhar smash Kiwi bowlers all around the park, Sehwag slammed the Pakistan team for the decision.

Fakhar's 81-ball 126 helped Pakistan win the contest by 21 runs (DLS method) after New Zealand had posted 401 runs on the board in 50 overs. Sehwag, taking to social media, said that the Pakistan team doesn't lack in 'Protein' but 'courage', referring to Imam-ul-Haq's statement that his teammates need to eat more protein and less carbs.

"What an innings by Fakhar Zaman, by far Pakistan's best batter. Which brains kept him on the bench for the best part of the tournament, God knows. Protein ki bhi kami nahin, jajbe ki bhi," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Zaman was also named the Player of the match for his stupendous ton. But, it was rain that played a role in Pakistan's win, with Zaman admitting that his teammates were hoping for the showers to continue in Bengaluru.

"We were chasing 400 and that was our plan, just to see off the first 4 overs and thankfully it was my day. To be honest, I was lucky a few times but really enjoyed this innings. We know every game is a do or die for us and we have decided to play aggressively and we are playing with that mind so everybody is just trying to score runs. This is one of the best (knocks in ODI cricket) but I will always rank my 193 in South Africa highly, but I really enjoyed this game and New Zealand are a great side, so definitely one of the best. 

"We were also praying that we don't want any more game to happen (while waiting anxiously in the dressing room during the rain break) because it was already 9 and half hours and we knew that DLS would come into the equation. We wanted to play with that aggressive mindset and we will play aggressively in the next game also," he said after the game.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Fakhar Zaman Virender Sehwag World Cup 2023 Football