When Pakistan last toured New Zealand, Glenn Phillips handed out a special tribute to John Cena as the Kiwi batter walked to bat with the entrance music of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) legend. Hosting Babar Azam-starrer Pakistan in the 3rd T20I at University Oval on Tuesday, the Dunedin Disc Jockey (DJ) continued the tradition of marking the arrival of batters with the music theme of WWE wrestlers. However, New Zealand aimed a cheeky dig at cricketer Azam Khan by welcoming the batter with the theme music of popular wrestler - The Big Show.
Taking on the Black Caps in the 3rd T20I of the bilateral series, visitors Pakistan were reduced to 95/3 when Azam joined forces with Babar at the crease. The decision to give Azam's entrance on the field a WWE twist backfired as Pakistani fans called out the hosts on social media. “Pathetic from the hosts to play The Big Show's entrance music when Azam Khan came out to bat,” a Pakistani fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Who is Azam Khan?
The Pakistani fan also urged the apex board to take cognisance of the incident. “@TheRealPCB should take it up with @BLACKCAPS #NZvsPAK,” the fan added. The viral video has sparked a debate on social media. Azam is the son of former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan. He is among the three wicketkeepers picked by Pakistan for the New Zealand T20I series. The 25-year-old made his T20I debut against England at Trent Bridge in 2021. He has played 8 T20Is for the Green Army.
{{/usCountry}}The Pakistani fan also urged the apex board to take cognisance of the incident. “@TheRealPCB should take it up with @BLACKCAPS #NZvsPAK,” the fan added. The viral video has sparked a debate on social media. Azam is the son of former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan. He is among the three wicketkeepers picked by Pakistan for the New Zealand T20I series. The 25-year-old made his T20I debut against England at Trent Bridge in 2021. He has played 8 T20Is for the Green Army.
{{/usCountry}}How Azam responded to ‘Big Show’ dig?
Azam's stay at the crease was cut short by Matt Henry, who got the better of the Pakistani gloveman in the 12th over. Moin's son only managed to score 10 off 7 balls in the recently concluded encounter between Pakistan and New Zealand. Talking more about the match, former skipper Babar scored 58 off 37 balls as Pakistan mustered only 179-7 in 20 overs.
New Zealand thrash Pakistan to seal T20I series
New Zealand registered a comfortable 45-run win over the visitors to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series at Dunedin. Opener Finn Allen slammed a blistering century to help New Zealand post the match-winning total of 224-7 in the 20-over contest. On Friday, Pakistan will travel to Christchurch for the 4th T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval.