Four sixes for Shaheen Shah Afridi, two off successive deliveries in the last over, have given Pakistan a modicum of respectability after they were dominated completely by India’s quality attack. Afridi ends up with a person best oof 33 off 16, the only silver lining on the scoreboard. His inside-out six off Varun Chakravarthy, in p-articular, was an excellent shot.
The bigger picture, though, remains that India look all set to extend their dominance over Pakistan in recent years. The game has gone only one way right from the golden duck for Saim Ayub off the first legal delivery of the match. Kuldeep Yadav has three, and Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel two each.
Farhan perishes, Pakistan in dire straits
As we enter into the death overs, Kuldeep Yadav starts with a wide wrong’un, anticipating a big hit from Sahibzada Farhan. The big hit comes, and he ends up toe-ending it to long-on. He is gone for 40 off 44. That their best-looking batter has not scored at a run a ball tells you the story of Pakistan’s innings.
Kuldeep ends his night with figures of 4-0-18-3 despite a sweetly timed slog-swept six by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
his pitch is not that bad where you score 127. If shaheen can hit some, so can Indian batting. Haris played a poor shot to Bumrah, and Saim has yet to understand what shots to play as his first in a tournament. Hoping Shaheen’s batting gave him something that will get him to topple some wickets too!”
