It all started with an ESPNcricinfo poll on the popular social media platform where the cricket website paired 20 top players (former and current), with each other and asked fans to pick one contest they would love to watch.

 

Akhtar took note of this poll and stated he would need just four deliveries to send Smith back in the hut even today. His Twitter post read: "Even today, 3 hurting bouncers and i can dismiss @stevesmith49 on the 4th ball. Lol."

 

 

 

 

The ICC Twitter handle replied to this with a Michael Jordan meme in their next Tweet. This infuriated Akhtar and he hit out at them.

 

His post read: "A symbolic tweet, how ICC has thrown neutrality out of the window. Basically this is how the state of affairs are run there."

 

 

 

In the poll created by the cricket website, there were quite a few mouth-watering contests lined up between some of the greatest batsmen and bowlers that have played the game or are still playing. Among them, one was Australia batting ace Steve Smith and Pakistan pace great Akhtar. The others were Sachin Tendulkar and Rashid Khan, Ricky Ponting and Jofra Archer, Virat Kohli and Shane Warne, Brian Lara and Neil Wagner, AB de Villiers and Wasim Akram, Kane Williamson and Muttiah Muralitharan, Kevin Pietersen and Kagiso Rabada, Saeed Anwar and Jasprit Bumrah, Babar Azam and Glenn McGrath.