The Lahore Qalandars, eager for their first win of the season after five consecutive losses, made an impressive start against the table-topping Multan Sultans by swiftly dismissing the crucial wicket of Mohammad Rizwan in the opening over.
Rizwan, the world’s third-ranked wicket-keeper batter, found himself perplexed by an exceptional display of bowling from his national team captain, Shaheen Afridi. Afridi’s skillful execution culminated in a stunning dismissal on the fifth delivery, igniting jubilant celebrations.
Shaheen commenced the match with a well-directed outswinger that Rizwan cautiously played towards cover for no runs. The left-arm quick then thrilled the crowd with a delivery that swung extravagantly, enticing Rizwan to leave it alone with good reason, unaware of the impending danger.
Afridi followed up with two inswingers directed at Rizwan’s pads, one of which struck him and the other narrowly missed the boundary after brushing his thigh pad. With Rizwan clearly struggling to anticipate Afridi’s deliveries, the final blow came in the form of a deceptive outswinger that swung inward slightly, catching the inside edge of Rizwan’s bat and dismantling the stumps.
Shaheen Afridi gets Muhammad Rizwan on duck in his first over 😬👏#HBLPSL2024 #PSL2024 #HBLPSL #PSL9 #LQvsPZ #LQvsMS #PZvsLQ
— King Babar Azam Army (@kingbabararmy) February 27, 2024
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As Rizwan stood bewildered, gazing back at the stumps, Shaheen celebrated exuberantly, pointing his finger triumphantly towards the crowd before unleashing his signature eagle celebration, much to the delight of fans on Twitter.