They are not known for sharing a good relations in fields such as politics and diplomacy. But on Wednesday (7), the ugly rivalry between Afghanistan and Pakistan became visible in cricket as well after the former champions led by Babar Azam defeated Mohammad Nabi's side by one wicket in a thrilling Super Four clash to make the finals of the Asia Cup to meet Sri Lanka. It also saw a former Pakistan cricketer and a former chief of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) engaging in a spat on Twitter.
The defeat meant Afghanistan crashed out of the tournament, along with India, as both of them lost two straight games in the Super Four.
Batting first, Afghanistan scored 129 for six and then fought well to reduce Pakistan to 118 for 9 when Naseem Shah, a fast bowler, hit back-to-back sixes to take Pakistan home.
But the heart-breaking loss did not go down well with the Afghanistan fans who started vandalising seats at Sharjah Cricket Stadium where the match was played besides beating Pakistan supporters. On the ground, too, Pakistan batter Asif Ali was seen hitting out at Afghanistan bowler Fareed Ahmad Malik when other players and the on-field umpires intervened.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar slammed the vandalism at the venue and shared a video on Twitter showing the Afghanistani supporters going berserk and throwing uprooted chairs at their Pakistani counterparts. He also tagged former ACB chief Shafiq Stanikzai saying that Afghanistan's supporters and players needed to "learn a few things" if they wanted to grow in cricket.
Stanikzai responded to Akhtar in a tweet saying nobody can control the fans' emotions and he should not drag in an entire nation when talking about such incidents.
Pakistan players also celebrated their success of making the final of the Asia Cup in an ecstatic fashion with wild scenes unfolding in Sharjah. It was their first final since 2014.
Afghanistan take on India in a dead rubber in Dubai on Thursday (8).
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