Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan, who has made the successful transition to a pundit, and is also seen commentating in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 recently got into a war of words with a Pakistani journalist. Pathan apparently called the scribe a 'sasta expert' after the latter had taken a jibe at Mohammad Shami.
It all stemmed from a tweet, Irfan had made for Shami, after the veteran Indian pacer starred for Gujarat Titans (GT) helping them register their first win in the IPL over fellow newcomers Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Shami breathed fire with the new ball as he helped decimate a strong LSG batting lineup, which featured the likes of KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey among others.
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A struggling Lucknow side posted a fight-worthy total of 158 for six thanks to Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni's quickfire fifties, but it wouldn't be enough as Gujarat Titans chased down the target and registered their first win in IPL history.
Subsequently, Pathan lauded Shami for his performance, calling him one of the best bowlers with the new ball.
"There are not many in World Cricket who uses new ball better than Mohammed Shami!," he tweeted.
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On Thursday, Pakistani scribe Ihtisham Ul Haq replied to Irfan Pathan's tweet by writing, "THEY CAN'T PLAY HIM." From the looks of it, the Pakistani journalist appeared to take a dig at Shami after he went wicketless against Pakistan at the ICC T20I World Cup last year.
Subsequently, Pathan came up with a classy reply to the journalist as he wrote, "In the 2003 World Cup, Wasim Akram (Legend) couldn't beat Sachin Tendulkar's (Legend) bat. Does it mean he couldn't bowl?? #sasteexperts."
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The duo then got engaged in a war of words as the Pakistani journo responded to Pathan's tweet by saying, "This Sasta expert knows more than the Sasta commentator (IP). Let me remind you that Sachin was dropped by Razzaq on Wasim Akram's ball. Sachin's two best inns in World Cups, against Pakistan, had 5 drop catches in total. Now, don't block me like Harbhajan."
Following India's defeat against Pakistan at the World Cup, Mohammad Shami was also abused on social media but the veteran pacer has done seemingly well since, winning the 'Man of the Match' award in his first IPL match with Gujarat Titans.
