During a playful moment in the opening Test match between Australia and Pakistan in Perth, former Indian cricket player Ravi Shastri couldn’t contain his laughter as Australian pundit Kerry O’Keeffe made fun of New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Smith over the Black Caps’ 2023 World Cup semifinal defeat to India.
Well-known for his funny anecdotes, O’Keeffe told one about Riyaz Afridi, the brother of Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, who, after his country’s cricket losses, would supposedly fast for two days. With a chuckle, he turned to face Ian Smith and asked how long he had gone without food following New Zealand’s defeat against India in the World Cup quarterfinal. This is the course of the conversation:
O’Keeffe:
Of course, Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of seven brothers. Riyaz, his older brother, was an excellent bowler with a great first-class record. Remember the time he was young and Pakistan lost a Test match? He went two days without eating. “What did you do after New Zealand lost?” O’Keeffe said this during a Fox Sports broadcast.
Ian Smith:
“That’s a seriously early punch,” he replied, chuckling.
This is the video showing the pundits having a good time:
This laugh
#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/rhexg0FncP
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Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, expressed his dissatisfaction following India’s 70-run victory in the thrilling World Cup 2023 semi-final played at Wankhede Stadium. Williamson had praised Rohit Sharma’s team for their outstanding performance and acknowledged that they had outperformed the New Zealanders. In the near future, from October to November of 2024, a three-match Test series between New Zealand and India is planned.
After a protracted stay on the Asian subcontinent, New Zealand
Given that India had previously lost to the Kiwis in the World Test Championship final in 2021 and the World Cup semifinal in 2019, their victories against them in the league stage and semifinals of the 2023 World Cup had generated some lighthearted conversation. Nevertheless, Australia became victorious in the World Cup, defeating India in the process.
The New Zealand team stayed in India after their World Cup exit, concentrating on their red-ball match against Bangladesh. They could only draw the two-match Test series despite their best efforts. Tim Southee, the captain of New Zealand, expressed his displeasure with the pitches, calling the one used in the second Test the worst he had ever played on.
India
