Shaheen Afridi’s opening spell against India almost ended their hopes of beating the Menin Green in their opening game of the T20 World Cup. Shaheen dismissed Rohit for a duck and Rahul for three to rattle India early on in the game. He came back to dismiss Virat Kohli’s whose valiant 57 was not enough to help India post a fighting total. They posted 151 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan scored fifties and chased down the target in a canter to win inside 18 overs. India also lost their next game against New Zealand to go way back in contention for the semi-finals and ultimately another Kiwi win against Afghanistan ended their campaign in this World Cup.
Meanwhile, a viral video of Shaheen Afridi enacting the dismissals of the Indian top-order is making the round across social media. In their game against Namibia, Afridi showed the dismissals of the big three on the request of the Pakistan fans. Afridi also took the Man of the Match against India.
Plan Was To Bring The Ball Back In: Shaheen Afridi
https://twitter.com/crickohli18_/status/1457628908459896842?s=20
“The plan was to bring the ball back in. I was just trying to swing it and I was just looking to give the team a breakthrough. That was what I practiced in the nets as well yesterday. Batting against the new ball was tough. The credit goes to Babar and Rizwan for the way they played. All teams are good in the tournament and we will look to carry this momentum through and go to the finals” said Afridi regarding the dismissal of Rohit and Rahul after the game.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have maintained an unbeaten run on their way to the semi-finals. Tonight in Dubai, they face Australia in the knockout clash. Both the sides are pretty well-rounded and can stage an upset.
Australia-Pakistan have a 3-all record in ICC T20 World Cups. Pakistan overall enjoy an advantage of 13-9. Australia beat the Men in Green the last time they played a T20 World Cup semi-final back in 2010.
