Pakistan’s star speedster Shaheen Afridi was left visibly frustrated when a comedy of errors at the slip cordon denied him an early breakthrough and a golden opportunity to strike the first blow slipped away during the ongoing Champions One-Day Cup match between the Lions and the Panthers.
Afridi was denied his first wicket, thanks to a miscommunication between the Lions fielders in the first over of the Panthers’ innings during the ongoing List A match at the Iqbal Cricket Stadium in Faisalabad on Monday, September 16.
Comedy of errors at slip cordon frustrates Shaheen Afridi in Champions One-Day Cup
Shaheen Afridi, who opened the bowling for the Lions, was tasked with taking advantage of the difficult conditions and putting the Panthers under pressure. The left-hander started shakily with a wide delivery but soon found rhythm and delivered a beautiful delivery to the out-of-form Saim Ayub (10).
Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s former T20I captain, bowled a full-length ball that sailed close to the fifth stump and strayed just enough to tempt Ayub into a risky drive. The Panthers opener, playing away from his body, only managed a thick outside edge and the ball went towards the slipping fielders.
It was supposed to be an easy catch, but the slip fielder’s defenders seemed confused as to who was going to get the ball. They didn’t move; instead, they acted as mere spectators as the ball flew between them, racing to the boundary for four.
His poor presence of mind frustrated Shaheen Afridi as it was time for the star player to redeem himself after a very poor performance in the previous match. After the missed opportunity by the Lions, the Panthers got a chance to rebuild after a shaky start in the fifth match of the Champions One-Day Cup match in Faisalabad.
Check out Shaheen Afridi’s angry look here:
image.twitter.com/sRJNmn3DBw
— Cricket Cricket (@cricket543210) September 16, 2024
With Ayub given the lifeline, Shaheen felt torn at not being able to take advantage of an opportunity when it mattered to set up his moment in the List A game. At the same time, Afridi’s anger on the field highlighted the Lions’ frustration at narrowly missing this chance against the Panthers.
Shaheen Afridi shines with the ball for the Lions
Not only did he deprive Shaheen of a potential wicket, but he also put the fact before everyone’s eyes to mark the importance of good fielding at the right times. Well, the game progressed and the Lions got the first success in the form of Azan Awais off Siraj Uddin, and then Afridi finally got his first wicket.
Lions captain Afridi removed Umar Siddiq for a 6-ball duck and then Amad Bhatt and Arafat Minhas to finish with a three-wicket haul as the Panthers were bowled out for 283 runs with Mubasir Khan (90) and Haider Ali (84) being the team’s top scorers in the game.
Ahmed Daniyal and Shaheen finished with three wickets while Siraj Uddin and Aamer Yamin shared four wickets between them for the Lions. Chasing the target, the Lions are heading strongly towards their goal as they need 215 runs in 38 overs with seven wickets in hand to win the match.
