Peshawar Zalmi wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Haris (0) has become the latest victim of Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s new-ball spectacle. Perhaps the most embarrassing outing of Haris’ career especially during a televised match saw him looking absolutely clueless on both the balls that he faced off Afridi.
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Opening the batting with captain Babar Azam (7), Haris’ attempt to defend an Afridi delivery on the first ball of the innings saw his bat breaking into a couple of pieces. Haris, who was pretty much left with only the handle in his hand, had no option than to immediately ask for a new bat.
Haris, however, couldn’t make use of the new bat either as he failed to make contact with the ball on the following delivery. A pinpoint in-swinging yorker targeted at hitting the stumps achieved its target after the right-handed batter played all around a ball which would’ve been difficult to just defend.
Mohammad Haris bat breaks into two pieces by Shaheen Shah Afridi express pace delivery
Chasing a gargantuan 242-run target, Zalmi put on display a disastrous start on the back of losing their opening batters within the first three overs. It was on the penultimate delivery of his second over that Afridi produced a near-replica of Haris’ dismissal to send Azam back to the pavilion for the second time in the history of the PSL.
Afridi, 22, ended up picking his fifth T20 five-wicket haul in a prototypical lead-from-the-front effort. In what was his second five-fer in the PSL, it witnessed the left-arm bowler also dismissing the likes of Wahab Riaz (0), Saad Masood (16) and James Neesham (12).
Who won the match yesterday PSL 2023?
It is worth noting that Qalandars beat Zalmi by 40 runs in the recently concluded 15th match of the ongoing eighth season of the Pakistan Super League. First PSL 8 match at the Gaddafi Stadium, it was a high-scoring entertainer allowing the home team to register the third-highest innings total in the history of the tournament.
A shambolic start was recovered to a large extent due to individual half-centuries by PZ batters Tom Kohler-Cadmore (55) and Saim Ayub (51). However, the duo falling within six deliveries after sharing a 44-ball 91-run third-wicket partnership led to the team’s downfall especially with the middle-order not contributing as per the need of the hour.
Afridi’s decision of batting first after winning the toss was well-supported by his batters as Fakhar Zaman (96) and Abdullah Shafique (75) stitched a 69-ball 120-run second-wicket partnership before wicket-keeper batter Sam Billing (45*) put on board an apt finishing act.
Only the second PSL 2023 double-header day, the above mentioned contest followed Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans afternoon match. Fumbling big time to get bundled out for 101 in 16.3 overs in a 168-run chase, Sultans lost that match by as many as 66 runs at the National Stadium.
