Asia Cup: Shaheen Afridi dismantles India with four-wicket haul
Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi recorded a four-wicket haul in his side's high-voltage clash against India in the 2023 Asia Cup. He returned with 4/35 in 10 overs as the Men in Blue were folded for 266 in 48.5 overs. Shaheen took two wickets in the powerplay and claimed two more in the end overs. Here we look at his stats.
A fiery spell from Shaheen
Shaheen made optimum utilization of the overcast conditions at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. He kept Rohit Sharma quiet and eventually dismissed him for 11. In the seventh over, he dismissed Virat Kohli, who could manage just four. The speedster dismissed all-rounders Hardik Pandya (87) and Ravindra Jadeja (14) in the 44th over, denting India further. Notably, he bowled two maidens.
Dismissed Rohit and Kohli for the second time
This is the second occasion Shaheen dismissed both Rohit and Kohli in the same game. He did so in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup as well. While Rohit perished for a golden duck, Kohli made 57 off 49 balls in that duel.
29 ODI wickets in powerplay
Afridi's inswinging deliveries have particularly troubled right-handed batters in initial overs. As per ESPNcricinfo, 31 of his ODI wickets have come in the powerplay overs. The young pacer has an average of 23.41 and an economy rate of 4.91 in this regard. No other Pakistan bowler has taken more powerplay wickets in ODIs since Shaheen's debut in the format in September 2018.
Here are his overall numbers
As far as his overall numbers are concerned, Shaheen has raced to 82 wickets in just 41 ODIs at an economy of 5.36. The tally includes six four-wicket hauls and a couple of fifers. 6/35 reads his best figures in the format. His bowling average of just 22.39 is the best among Pakistan pacers with 50 or more ODI wickets.
