ISLAMABAD: Pakistani social media users targeted Irfan Pathan with memes and jokes about his famous “Sunday” comment after India lost to South Africa by 76 runs during the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The match occurred at Narendra Modi Stadium which holds the title of the largest cricket stadium in the world. South Africa batted first and scored 187 runs while losing 7 wickets during their 20 overs. India’s batting lineup struggled in reply, being bowled out for just 111 runs in the 19th over, which marked one of their largest defeats in T20 World Cup history.
Pakistani users joined the fun after Indian fans criticized their team on social media. Many reminded Pathan of his old “Sunday” reference, sharing memes and playful posts.
One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Brother, anyone seeing this post, tag Irfan Pathan and ask – how was your Sunday?” Another post asked, “Someone check with Irfan Pathan, how was Sunday?”
Bhai, jo bhi ye post dekhe, Irfan Pathan ko tag karke bol do…
“Sunday kaisa raha, Bhai?” 😏#CricketVibes #T20WorldCup #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/Z7W9EQdkLY— Muhammad asif (@asif38689) February 22, 2026
Several memes featured Pathan’s sad or disappointed expressions, with captions reading, “Same old Sunday.” Some users jokingly asked if he had eaten “surf” that day, adding to the humour circulating online.
@… irfan pathan 🤡🤡 https://t.co/OBUiqZpY5z pic.twitter.com/ymKYjgrMoh
— Nitric Acid (@nitric_acid78) February 22, 2026
Irfan pathan ne surf kha liya hai
— 🍁 (@_thedeadleaf) February 22, 2026
The trend continued throughout the day, with Pakistani fans sharing a wide variety of memes poking fun at Pathan in light of India’s defeat.
South Africa defeat defending champion in super eight stage
Earlier, South Africa defeated India by 76 runs in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.
In the third match of this stage, South Africa, the defending champions, set a target of 188 runs after scoring 187 runs for 7 wickets in their allotted overs. Chasing the target, the Indian team struggled and was bowled out for just 111 runs. Notably, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to score any runs. Tilak Verma and Arshdeep Singh contributed only one run each, while Washington Sundar managed 11 runs. Other key performances included Abhishek Sharma with 15 runs, and Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, who were dismissed for 18 runs each.
David Miller played a pivotal role for South Africa, scoring 63 runs off 35 balls, stabilising the innings after the team lost its first three wickets for just 20 runs. Dewald Brevis added 45 runs to the total, and Tristan Stubbs remained unbeaten on 44 runs. The other batsmen contributed as follows: Ryan Rickleton scored 7, Quinton de Kock 6, captain Aiden Markram 4, and Marco Jansen 2 runs.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler, taking 3 wickets for 15 runs. Arshdeep Singh claimed 2 wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dube each took 1 wicket. On the South African side, Keshav Maharaj was instrumental with 3 wickets in one over, and both Mark Vincent and Corbin Bosch took 2 wickets each.
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