During the Asia Cup 2025 Super four stage which was played in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five wickets to earn two vital points. Pakistan had a target of 134 runs in 18 overs and five wickets to go. The game drew publicity to the on-field incident involving Abrar Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga whose celebrations were the biggest topic of discussion.
The mystery spinner of Pakistan Abrar Ahmed sent home Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga on the first ball of the 13th over. Upon taking the wicket, Abrar imitated the Sri Lankan star and did the Hasaranga wicket celebration as well. The Abrar Ahmed vs Wanindu Hasaranga clip rapidly trended on social media, and supporters shared videos of the imitation online.
Wanindu Hasaranga retaliated on the field during the batting by Pakistan. The first was a one-handed catch, which he made of Fakhar Zaman, and the celebration was in the style of Abrar Ahmed. He later bowled Saim Ayub and repeated the Hasaranga celebration, similar to the send-off by Abrar. The sharing of celebrations formed a special subplot in the match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which got a lot of discussion on the internet.
The two players demonstrated sportsmanship even after the competitive gestures at the end of the game. The Abrar Ahmed vs Wanindu Hasaranga rivalry came to the sweet end with a hand shake and hug between Abrar Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga. Fans pointed this out as a sign of being respectful and at the same time make the game interesting.
