Shaheen Afridi and Shahid Afridi: A World Cup legacy

• Afridi’s Five-Wicket Haul Ignites Pakistan’s World Cup Comeback.
• Warner and Marsh Century Stand, Afridi Responds.
• Australia Sets Record 367/9 vs. Pakistan in World Cup.

Shaheen Afridi managed to overcome his previous struggles and led a remarkable comeback for Pakistan in the final 10 overs against Australia by taking five crucial wickets.

Australia appeared poised to surpass 400 runs, thanks to centuries by their openers, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, who shared a massive 259-run partnership. However, Afridi broke this partnership and later secured three more wickets in the last three overs to complete his five-wicket haul.

This marks his second five-wicket haul in a World Cup, the first being during the 2019 tournament when he achieved figures of 6/35 against Bangladesh. Notably, he is now the second Pakistani player, after his father-in-law Shahid Afridi, to have two World Cup five-wicket hauls.

Afridi’s performance of 5/54 in this match is the best by any bowler in the 2023 World Cup so far. Mitchell Santner of New Zealand, who took 5/89 against the Netherlands, has now dropped to second place on the list. India’s Jasprit Bumrah’s figures of 4/39 against Afghanistan stand in third place, followed by England’s Reece Topley’s 4/43 against the Netherlands in fourth. The top five is rounded off by Australia’s Adam Zampa, who achieved figures of 4/47 against Sri Lanka.

Despite Pakistan taking four wickets for just 27 runs in the last five overs, Australia managed to reach a total of 367/9. This is the highest score any team has achieved against Pakistan in a World Cup match. While Afridi dismissed Marsh for 121 off 108 balls, Warner continued to excel, scoring 163 off just 124 balls.

This match marked only the fourth occasion in World Cup history where both opening batsmen scored centuries in the same game. Afridi’s impressive five-wicket haul highlighted what other Pakistan bowlers could have accomplished with better strategy on a challenging day.

Warner, who had two close calls with dropped catches at 10 and 105, and Marsh displayed exceptional batting against a Pakistan bowling attack that lacked consistency on a well-prepared M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, with the fast outfield further enhancing the value of their shots. Pakistan’s performance could have been different had Usama Mir, who replaced Shadab Khan, held onto a straightforward catch from Warner off Afridi, who was the standout among Pakistan’s bowlers with his clever variations during the match.

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