Shahid Afridi turns back the clock, smacks 14-ball 50
Buoyed by Afridi’s knock, Pakhtoons finished on 135/5 in their 10 overs. In reply, Rovman Powell did show his caliber, stroking an unbeaten 80 off 35 balls, but it wasn’t enough as Northern Warriors lost.
He might be past his prime, but when in full flow, Shahid Afridi is still a cricket fan’s delight. And on Saturday, the crowd at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium got to witness a blinder from the former Pakistan skipper as he hit a whirlwind 17-ball 59 to lead Pakhtoons to a 13-run win over Northern Warriors in the T10 League. It was a display of brutal hitting as the captain hit seven sixes and three boundaries and scored at a rate of 347.06.
Buoyed by his knock, Pakhtoons finished on 135/5 in their 10 overs. In reply, Rovman Powell did show his caliber, stroking an unbeaten 80 off 35 balls, but it wasn’t enough as his team lost the game. Afridi was named Man of the Match.
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Earlier, Afghanistan batsman Mohammad Shahzad was at his destructive best as he slammed an unbeaten 74 off just 16 balls in the same T10 league. Chasing a target of 95, Shahzad and Brendon McCullum mauled the bowlers with their aggressive batting as they chased down the total in just 24 deliveries. It was a brilliant show by the duo as the chase was completed in just 17 minutes.
The 16-ball-74 by Shahzad was the highest score in T10s ever and the Afghanistan wicket-keeper was able to bring up his fifty in just 12 balls - another first in T10 cricket. Interestingly, he mentioned that he doesn’t like giving the Yo-Yo Test. “I don’t like Yo-Yo test. Some people score 20 in the test still they can’t hit a six. I do not care about Yo-Yo test,” Shahzad said at the presentation ceremony.
