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It was raining sixes in Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as Australia got the better of Pakistan in a closely-fought battle. In a high-scoring affair where batters were looking to hit the ball as hard as they can, a major accident was averted as Chris Gaffaney's quick reflexes helped him evade a menacing shot off Fakhar Zaman's bat.
In the 18th over of the innings, Zaman who was standing deep in the crease to dig out the yorker caught hold of Mitchell Starc's delivery and hit it straight down the ground. The ball travelling at a great speed almost hit the head of umpire Gaffaney. The 45-year-old was quick on his feet and ducked successfully. Had the ball hit him on the head, he would have been trouble.
Despite evading a life-threatening blow to the head unscathed, the former New Zealand cricketer got back on his feet and signalled for a boundary with a nervous smile on his face. Australian fast bowler Starc patted the Kiwi's back asking him if he was okay.
Zaman regained his form in the big game after a series of bad scores. The left-handed batter was unstoppable in the death overs and remained unbeaten for 55 runs off 32 balls to help Pakistan post 176/4 after being put to bat first by Australian skipper Aaron Finch. Zaman hit three fours and four sixes in his and scored at a strike rate of 171.88.
As Australia ended Pakistan's winning streak of 16 matches in UAE and five matches in T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 stage, the subcontinent team became the first team to lose three semi-finals in the mega event's 14-year history.
