Pakistan failed to build on a solid start after winning the toss and opting to bat first in the final game of the series at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. The Shaheens, already trailing 0-2 in the series, crumbled from a promising 61/1 to be bowled out for just 117.
Aaron Hardie played a key role in their downfall, claiming three wickets in four overs while conceding just 21 runs. With a challenging total to defend, and Naseem Shah rested, the responsibility fell squarely on the experienced shoulders of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi to turn the tide.
However, little did anyone expect that the two fast bowlers would end up clashing more with each other than with the opposition.
Rauf was given the ball by stand-in captain Salman Agha in the penultimate over of the powerplay, with Marcus Stoinis at the crease. After a boundary off the first ball and a dot ball in response, the most dramatic moment of the over came on the third delivery.
Stoinis pushed a fuller ball towards mid-off and sprinted for a single. As he called for the run, Rauf stood at the middle of the pitch, waiting for a potential opportunity to run Stoinis out.
However, Afridi, instead of targeting the non-striker’s stumps, threw the ball towards the keeper’s end — and in the process, Rauf found himself directly in the line of fire.
The Kookaburra hurtled towards him, and in a split second, Rauf dived to the ground to avoid being hit, landing flat on his stomach as the ball sailed past him.
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Fuming, Rauf immediately turned to Afridi, reprimanding him for throwing at the wrong end, though thankfully no harm was done. Despite the miscommunication, Pakistan’s bowlers regrouped, but the tension between the two pacers was palpable.