New Delhi: Pakistan has become the first team to whitewash South Africa in South Africa. Pakistanis are heaping praise on the team while analysts are convinced they can now win the Champions Trophy in 2025. They are ‘unstoppable and unbeatable’.
Pakistan achieved a series clean sweep over South Africa with a victory in the third one-day international (ODI) at Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Fans are ecstatic—“PCT is so back”, X user Humais Mallick wrote while another fan Zia sarcastically commented, “In Pakistan, Sunday is a washing day.”
Others can’t get over the stars—Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan. Ayub, for his match–winning twin centuries, and Rizwan, for his “exemplary captaincy”.
Ayub is being hailed as the breakthrough player. Fans believe he “has all the ingredients to become a force for the next 15 years”. They are also comparing him to former Pakistani player, Saeed Anwar, known as one of the best openers ever seen in the ODI format.
Sports journalist Faizan Lakhani labelled it “Poetry in motion across generations”. He wrote on X, “Decades apart, yet cut from the same cloth! The legendary elegance of Saeed Anwar mirrored in the fearless strokes of Saim Ayub.”
In former cricketer Shahid Afridi’s words, “Saim Ayub is definitely a talent to watch for the future.”
Mohammad Rizwan, too, is in the spotlight. Fans and analysts can’t stop praising his captaincy skills enough. Former cricketers like Afridi and Basit Ali congratulated him for successfully uniting the team.
“He has glued the team together, where differences no longer matter, even when you win or lose,” Ali said in his YouTube video. According to Afridi, the cricketer showed “exemplary leadership”.
Pakistani cricket fans wholeheartedly agree.
“This is no fluke, not by any means, not an easy achievement. SA at home is not a write off. Full marks to the pak team. The main reason is the teamwork which is possible with this new group where they are at least not fighting with each to start with. Babar is not the center of the discussion anymore, performance is. Definitely a change with Rizwan as a captain. He is bringing all the guys together and motivating them to play to their potential,” a Reddit user wrote.
Redditor Danish Javed agreed: “I have said it before and I am saying it again: This guy Rizwan will get us a trophy.”
Also read: ‘Free Imran Khan’ says top Trump ally. Pakistanis want him to contest elections against Sharif
Pakistan cricket defies logic
There are also fans who are happy but confused. Pakistan cricket makes no sense to them.
“Got whitewashed at home against Bangladesh in Test series. Whitewashed south Africa in south Africa in ODI series. Pakistan cricket defies all logics,” X user Haroon wrote. Cricket writer Amer Malik could not agree more.
“With all the background turmoil it continues to surprise me that Pakistan can win against Australia, England and South Africa, and yet still manage to lose to the likes of the USA and Zimbabwe, some things have no logical explanation,” he responded.
X user Yasir Khan had an answer. He chose to give Pakistani cricket fans’ favourite response: “Qudrat ka nizam.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)