Fans have trolled former Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal after the Salman Ali Aga-led side’s win over South Africa in the third and final T20 match in Lahore. Akmal mistakenly congratulated the Pakistan national cricket team for winning a “tri-series” instead of a bilateral series against South Africa.
Pakistan won the 2-1 T20I series against South Africa after winning the decider at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, 1 November. The hosts chased the target of 140 runs with six wickets and one over to spare. Babar Azam scored a half-century which helped Pakistan win the series.
Fans trolled Umar Akmal after Pakistan’s series win
Umar Akmal celebrated Pakistan’s 2-1 T20 series win over South Africa through a post on social media. He praised Babar Azam for scoring a half-century in a must-win match.
However, Umar Akmal mistakenly referred to a “tri-series final” instead of a bilateral three-match competition. This led to witty answers questioning the “third team” and triggered viral memes. Umar Akmal’s post got over 148k views and 2,469 likes.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), users corrected him by saying it was a “three-match series”, while others turned it into memes, including the popular “When did this happen?” image.
Akmal wrote, “Hearty congratulations to @TheRealPCB on winning the tri-series final! Babar Azam’s innings was phenomenal, brought his A-game when it mattered most! #BabarAzam #Aghsalman.”
hearty congratulations to @TheRealPCB On winning the tri series final! Babar Azam’s innings was phenomenal, bringing his A-game when it mattered most! #babarazam #Aghasalman
– Umar Akmal (@Umar96Akmal) 1 November 2025
Pakistan’s series-clinching win over South Africa praised by former players
Pakistan’s series-clinching victory over South Africa was praised by many former players. Mohammad Hafeez congratulated the team on the X and praised the performances of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Salman Mirza.
Hafeez said, “Congratulations to Team Pakistan for winning the home T20 series against South Africa. Shaheen and Salman Mirza created the game with the new ball. It was good to see Babar Azam playing an impressive innings. Well done Pakistan.”
Interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood also praised the team’s collective performance. He said that Afridi and Mirza created the atmosphere with the new ball.
“Great series win for Pakistan against South Africa! It’s great to see Babar Azam back in form, he looked in complete control throughout his innings and played a brilliant innings. Shaheen Afridi and Mirza set the tone beautifully with the ball. Good performance under Salman Ali Aga and a solid team effort,” Azhar said.
Pakistan recovered from early setbacks after Sam Ayub’s early dismissal
Pakistan had a bad start with Saim Ayub being out for a duck in six balls, but Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan took control of the situation with a 36-run partnership. Farhan, who scored 19 runs on 18 balls, was out in the seventh over.
Babar and captain Salman Ali Aga made a partnership of 76 runs for the third wicket. The former captain scored 68 runs in 47 balls, while Agha supported him with 33 runs in 26 balls. Later, Pakistan’s score became 133 runs for six wickets, but Faheem Ashraf and Usman Khan gave the team an easy victory.
Earlier, Agha won the toss and decided to bowl first, with Pakistan restricting South Africa to 139 for nine. Shaheen Afridi and Salman Mirza set the tone with an impressive new ball. Both the teams will face each other in a three-match ODI series in Faisalabad from November 4 to 8.
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