Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif faced heavy criticism on social media after he congratulated the national cricket team on their four-wicket win against India in the Hong Kong International Sixes 2026 on Friday. However, fans were quick to criticize Sharif's congratulatory message on X.
Many users on social media poked fun at the Prime Minister for celebrating a win in a limited-overs match. As it is generally seen as a fun tournament, many fans highlighted how the Pakistan team has struggled in recent matches against India internationally, therefore questioning whether the win was worthy of a congratulatory message from the top political figure in the country.
Shehbaz Sharif's Post on X Sparks Social Media Backlash
Sharif praised the Pakistan team and their efforts. He also congratulated PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the officials.
Congratulations to our boys for an incredible 4-wicket win vs India in the opener against them in the Hong Kong Sixes 2026. Was a great game,” Sharif said on X.
“Also appreciate the hard work of Chairman PCB @MohsinnaqviC42 and his team for their support in getting our players ready.”
However, there was a factual mistake in Sharif's congratulatory message. He stated that it was Pakistan's first game against India, but they faced the UAE earlier in the day.
Afridi And Nafay Lead Pakistan To Victory
Despite Sharif's comments on social media, Pakistan delivered an impressive display to overcome their arch-rivals. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl. They held India to just 88/5 from their 6 overs.
Shashank Singh hit a blistering 40 from 11 balls but did not receive much support from the rest of the batting line-up. Nitish Rana scored 19 while Rahul Tripathi managed just 9.
Pakistan got off to a flying start with Abbas Afridi hitting 5 sixes in a row off Krunal Pandya in the first over. He ended up scoring 35 from 8 balls. Pakistan reached 92/2 from just 3.5 overs to win the match with 4 wickets in hand.
Khawaja Nafay also hit an explosive knock, remaining unbeaten on 41 from 12 balls. He and Abbas put on 59 from just 13 to get Pakistan in control of their chase.
This was a vital boost for Pakistan after losing by just 1 wicket against the UAE earlier in the day. The defending champions now sit at the top of Group C with 2 points from 2 games.
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India sit at the bottom of the 3 team group with 0 points. They will play against the UAE on Saturday in their last group game and will need to win to keep their hopes of progressing alive.