Pakistan’s win over India in Hong Kong Sixes 2026 has sparked a new social media debate after Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his country’s cricket team for beating arch-rivals India. Pakistan beat India by four wickets in six overs, chasing an 89-run target in just three and a half overs.
The result got eyeballs because of the India-Pakistan rivalry, but Sharif’s congratulatory message on social media received sarcastic reactions from several users (mainly Indian cricket fans) who asked how much celebration is needed around a match in an invitational short-format tournament.
Hong Kong Sixes is an international six-a-side cricket tournament organised by Cricket Hong Kong, China and sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Unlike the Asia Cup or ICC Cricket World Cup, which are regular international cricket tournaments, the competition is played in a six-over format with teams fielding only six players. The tournament is known for its fast-paced matches, aggressive batting and entertaining cricket. India–Pakistan match was one of the matches that garnered much attention because of the history between the two cricketing nations.
Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi won the toss and elected to bowl first. India, batting first, struggled to put up a big total as Shashank Singh smashed 40 runs off just 11 deliveries to give them an early boost, but they could only score 88 for five wickets in six overs. The rest of the Indian batters couldn’t build on Shashank’s aggressive innings, and Pakistan needed 89 runs to win.
@CMShehbaz @MohsinnaqviC42 Hong kong sixes par PM post kar raha https://t.co/7x9hS3NfEO
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) October 30, 2026
Pakistan came out attacking and chased down the target in 3.5 overs (4 wickets). Khawaja Nafay scored an explosive 41 runs from only 12 balls to help Pakistan chase down the target. Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi smashed 35 off eight balls as well. Their attacking batting got them over the line comfortably against India, giving Pakistan a win over India in the tournament.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to X after the win and congratulated the players. He wrote, “Congratulations, boys, on a magnificent four-wicket victory over India in the first match of Hong Kong Sixes 2026! Great game of cricket. I commend PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and his team for their hard work in preparing and supporting our players.” Sharif also praised Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi and his team for preparing and supporting the players.
@CMShehbaz @MohsinnaqviC42 The sheer enthusiasm here is hilarious. I actually had to Google 'Hong Kong Sixes' just to see what it was, and it turns out to be basically organised gully cricket. Congratulations on the 'monumental' win. Declare a one-week holiday now! 😂
— Varun Kumar Rana (@VarunKrRana) October 30, 2026
However, the Prime Minister’s message was soon a topic of conversation on social media too. Several users responded sarcastically, saying that victory was being over-celebrated: “Congratulations were given as if Pakistan had defeated India in the biggest cricket tournament on earth”, one said sarcastically. The Hong Kong Sixes victory was compared to winning the World Cup or Asia Cup (the format of the tournament is different from major international competitions).
Another user said the excitement was funny and admitted: “I had to Google it to find out what the Hong Kong Sixes tournament was”. He sarcastically called the competition organised street cricket and congratulated Pakistan before suggesting the country declare a week-long holiday to celebrate victory. Such comments reflected the online criticism of the Prime Minister’s public celebration of the result.
A third user questioned Sharif’s description of the match as the tournament’s opening game. The user said Pakistan had played United Arab Emirates and lost earlier (about two hours before India played). Commenting on that, he challenged the accuracy of the Prime Minister’s description and added another dimension to the debate online.
@CMShehbaz @MohsinnaqviC42 Congratulations on winning match against India in biggest cricket tournament on planet. This exceeds any World Cup or Asia Cup ever played.
— Big Cat Of The Day (@BigCatOfTheDay) October 30, 2026
The reactions also brought the wider India-Pakistan cricket rivalry into focus. The matches between the two countries are always huge no matter what format or tournament it is. India’s recent performances against Pakistan in major tournaments have also come up for discussion by fans. India have a good record against Pakistan in World Cup games (India only lost men’s ODI and T20 World Cup head-to-head record to Pakistan in 2021).
Pakistan’s victory in Hong Kong Sixes despite social media criticism is still a result to be proud of in the fast-paced format of the tournament. Khawaja Nafay and Abbas Afridi were key to Pakistan’s chase, while Shashank Singh’s quickfire innings for India was the highlight. But discussion after the match wasn’t cricket-related. Shehbaz Sharif’s congratulatory post on social media became a talking point among fans.
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