Pakistan won the Hong Kong Sixes and captain Muhammad Shahzad’s cleverly timed a scathing jab at India’s Dinesh Karthik has taken on a life of its own following Pakistan’s triumph at the Hong Kong Sixes. What was meant to be a playful social media post from Karthik following India’s opening win over Pakistan became the perfect setup for Shahzad’s response once his team went all the way to win the title in Mong Kok.
India began their Hong Kong Sixes campaign on a high, pipping Pakistan by two runs via the DLS method. After the victory, Karthik posted on X and wrote: “Fun start to the Hong Kong Sixes. Winning against Pak.”
But that victory proved to be India’s only bright spot in an otherwise forgettable tournament. Karthik’s men went on to lose to Kuwait, UAE, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, bowing out early with just one win to their name. Pakistan, however, treated that early setback as a wake-up call. They bounced back strongly, sweeping through their remaining games and reaching the final, where they dominated Kuwait to clinch the trophy. Pakistan posted a formidable total before their bowlers wrapped up a comfortable 43-run victory, securing a record sixth Hong Kong Sixes title – the most by any team in the competition’s history.
The counterpunch came once the title was sealed, from Muhammad Shahzad himself. Sharing photos with the trophy and his teammates, the skipper of Pakistan mimicked Karthik’s tone earlier but turned the message around: “Fun end to the Hong Kong Sixes. Business as usual.”
He added fuel to the fire by including #WeHaveARealTrophy, which went viral in no time. The fans brutally thrashed the Pakistan skipper and mocked his cheap tactics to bring in India without any reason.
