Former Pakistan opener Ahmad Shahzad took a dig at former England batter Kevin Pietersen over England’s struggles in Pakistan, prompting a humorous response from the ex-England star.
Shahzad commented on Pietersen’s Instagram post, telling him to spend time with his team as England struggled during the tri-series in Pakistan.
“Spend some time with your team. They are getting hammered in Pakistan 😂,” Shahzad wrote.
Pietersen responded with a cheeky remark, suggesting that Shehzad’s presence had put him off visiting Pakistan.
“I was coming till I heard you’re there! I didn’t want to deal with your drama whilst there. 😂,” Pietersen replied.
The exchange came during the ODI Tri-Series, where England have lost all three of their matches. They sit at the bottom of the standings and need a miracle to reach the final.
Pakistan beat England by 87 runs in Rawalpindi on 20 October.
Two days later, Sri Lanka beat England by two wickets at the same ground in a match that broke several records. England captain Harry Brook scored 202 off 116 balls and led his side to 429 for 4. Sri Lanka chased the target down with one ball to spare, finishing on 430 for 8. Pavan Rathnayake top-scored with 130, and Janith Liyanage hit a six off the penultimate ball to seal the win.
The chase was the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, behind South Africa’s 435 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006. The match produced 859 runs, the second-highest aggregate in an ODI. The 430 is also the highest total England have conceded in the format.
On Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan beat England by one wicket with 17 balls to spare. England scored 241, led by a century from Ben Duckett. Pakistan chased down the target at 243 for 9 after falling to 103 for 6 at one stage.
Shadab Khan won the match with an unbeaten 113. He and Haris Rauf added 89 runs for the tenth wicket, a record partnership in a successful ODI chase. The win booked Pakistan’s place in the final.
