Published 10:06 IST, October 11th 2019
Furious Pakistan fan punches Sarfaraz's cut-out, snaps its 'head' off
A Pakistani fan unleashed his anger at the Pakistan team for the 3-0 whitewash in the T20 series against Sri Lanka by thrashing a cut-out of skipper Sarfaraz
A Pakistani fan unleashed his anger at the Pakistan team for the 3-0 whitewash in the T20 series against Sri Lanka by thrashing a cut-out of skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. Visuals of the incident went viral on social media after a fan posted it on Twitter following Pakistan's loss to Sri Lanka in the final T20 at Lahore. Pakistan failed to carry forward their winning momentum from the ODI series to the T20s and failed to make their mark as one of the top-ranking T20 sides in the world. The angry Pakistan fan unleashes his fury on Sarfaraz's cut-out and is seen taking out the head of the Pakistan skipper with just a single punch. More action follows, as the fan completely destroys the cut-out, kicking and punching at it in frustration. International cricket returned to Pakistan after ten years following the terror attacks targeting the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 post which international cricket was moved out of the country. While Pakistan won the rain-hit ODI series 2-0, the young Sri Lankan side made most of the tour as they put up a dominating display in the shorter format of the game.
Frustrated Pakistan fan destroys Sarfaraz Ahmed's cut-out
Sri Lanka complete series sweep
"Unity was the secret (of success)," Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said after he led his team on a victory lap around the Gaddafi Stadium. "We wanted to thank the people of Pakistan, they supported us, not just the Pakistan (team). All the players were bonded and that was the key to our success."
The series sweep by a young Sri Lanka team was made even more impressive by the fact that it toured Pakistan without several key players, who pulled out due to security concerns. Debutant Oshanda Fernando, one of the five changes Sri Lanka made, held the innings together with a gritty unbeaten 78 off 48 balls as Mohammad Amir was the only bowler to show some resilience by claiming 3-27. Fernando dominated a 76-run stand with Shanaka, whose contribution was only 12 but the partnership pulled Sri Lanka out of trouble from 4-58. In the absence of rested frontline seamers Isuru Udana and Nuwan Pradeep, Sri Lanka seamers Kasun Rajitha (1-17) and Lahiru Kumara bowled with disciplined line and length and never allowed Pakistan batsmen to go for big-hitting.
Misbah-ul-Haq laments 'one-sided' series loss
After Pakistan’s humiliating 0-3 defeat in the T20 series against a second-string Sri Lanka team, new head coach Misbah-ul-Haq expressed his displeasure over the country’s cricket system. He also lamented at the lack of talent at the domestic level. Furthermore, he added that Sri Lanka had outclassed Pakistan in all three departments of the game. He conceded that it was a one-sided series.
He said, "This series has been an eye-opener for us and everyone else. These same players have been around for a while now. More or less, the same team which made us number one and has been playing together for around three to four years now." Misbah added, "We were poor and not even at par in all three departments against them. Sri Lanka outclassed us in every department, it was an almost one-sided series.”
Updated 10:27 IST, October 11th 2019