Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar took a sly dig at the New Zealand cricket team following their defeat to Pakistan by five wickets on Tuesday in their T20 World Cup 2021 opener at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Talking about Pakistan’s second consecutive win in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage of the competition on his YouTube channel, Akhtar mocked New Zealand, recalling their decision to withdraw from the bilateral series against the Babar Azam-led side earlier this year.

“Congratulations to New Zealand that they didn’t come to Pakistan but were you safe in the UAE? We forgot to send security within the field because we thought maybe you wouldn’t feel safe on the ground as well,” Akhtar said.

The visiting New Zealand team had abandoned the tour hours before the opening game, citing a security threat. The withdrawal hurt Pakistan’s World Cup preparations as England too pulled out of their tour. Babar, criticising the decision, said that Pakistan “always tried to accommodate the interests of the game but others simply don’t.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, have inched closer to the knockout stage of the World T20 in the UAE, with back-to-back wins. They had earlier defeated India by a record 10 wickets, their first win against the arch-rivals in World Cups, to open their campaign in style. 

“Today, for a change, the whole of India was behind Pakistan to win the match. Because if we were to lose today, and if India lose against New Zealand, they would’ve got into real trouble. So, we (Pakistan) saved you (India). We want you to make it to the finals. And we are ready to take on you in the finals,” Shoaib further added.

Pakistan will next be up against Afghanistan on Friday at the Dubai International Stadium.