The Pakistan cricket team fans are not happy after the DJ at the University Oval, Dunedin played wrestler Big Show’s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) entrance music for wicket-keeper Azam Khan during the third T20I match against New Zealand on Wednesday. As Azam came out to bat in the 11th over of the Pakistan innings, the DJ played the music in the stadium and it enraged a lot of fans. The supporters were not happy on social media and many of them accused the DJ of ‘body shaming’ the Pakistan cricket team player. The cricketer scored just 10 before he was dismissed by Matt Henry.
New Zealand sealed their T20 series against Pakistan with two games to spare Wednesday on the back of a record 137 off 62 balls by opener Finn Allen at University Oval in Dunedin.
The Black Caps, sent in to bat in game three of the five-match series, won by 45 runs after posting a colossal 224 for seven and restricting Pakistan to 179 for seven.
It followed their victories by 46 and 21 runs respectively in the first two matches.
Pathetic from the hosts to play The Big Show’s entrance music when Azam Khan came out to bat. @TheRealPCB should take it up with @BLACKCAPS#NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/pUm4YU4yJl
— Rizwan Abbas (@RizwanAbba5248) January 17, 2024
The swashbuckling Allen, following on from his 74 off 41 balls in game two, frequently belted the ball out of the ground as he smashed 16 sixes and five fours in his whirlwind innings.
Not a fan of Azam Khan but this is body shaming, we need to condemn it as it is.
— Shah Zaib (@IamShzb) January 17, 2024
He said he has been working on trying to spend more time in the middle while still being explosive.
Pathetic from the hosts to play The Big Show’s entrance music when Azam Khan came out to bat. @TheRealPCB should take it up with @BLACKCAPS #NZvsPAK https://t.co/sT2mxV7fog
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 17, 2024
“It’s a bit of both, you know, picking my moments when to go and picking bowlers too. For me, playing the ball on its merits and hitting it where it’s supposed to go is kind of what I’ve been trying to do,” he said.
Mitch Santner, standing in as New Zealand captain for the injured Kane Williamson, said the innings went as planned.
“The way he constructed his innings, we talked about trying to do it for as long as he can, and he did it for a long time today.”
The opener’s 137 is the highest score by a New Zealander in a T20 International, surpassing the previous best of 123 set by Brendon McCullum, and it equalled the world record of 16 sixes in an innings held by Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai.
(With AFP inputs)
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