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Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram is renowned for his sharp wit and candid commentary. Known for his fiery pace and accurate bowling, Akram often takes playful jabs at his country's fielding standards. During a recent Australia-Pakistan ODI series, Akram once again amused viewers with his humorous commentary.
Wasim Akram takes a dig at Pakistan's fielding
While analysing the game, Akram shared a humorous insight into the reason behind the frequent flying of wickets during his and Waqar Younis' bowling era. He jokingly attributed this to the lack of trust in the fielders. Akram explained that they often had to rely on bowled and LBW dismissals as the fielding standards were not always up to par.
The commentary box erupted in laughter at Akram's witty remark. As if to further emphasize his point, the very next ball saw Shaheen Afridi, a promising young Pakistani fast bowler, drop a simple catch at the deep backward square leg boundary. This incident provided a comical twist, perfectly illustrating Akram's earlier observation.
Shaheen Afridi drops an easy catch
Naseem Shah fired a short delivery towards Australia's opener, Matthew Short. The ball seemed destined for Shaheen Afridi, who was perfectly positioned to take the catch. However, as Afridi attempted a reverse-cupped catch, the ball slipped through his fingers, resulting in a boundary for the Australian batsman.
Shaheen Afridi, just prior to the dropped catch, was engaged in signing autographs for a young fan. This brief distraction might have momentarily affected his focus as the ball unexpectedly came straight towards him. The dropped catch, despite being a relatively simple opportunity, was immediately acknowledged by Afridi with a gesture of apology to his teammate and the bowling team.
Despite this error, Afridi redeemed himself a few overs later. He successfully dismissed Matthew Short, who was caught at cover-point by Babar Azam. Short's dismissal for a mere 19 runs marked his second consecutive low score in the series.
Pakistan's fielding prowess has been a recurring topic of discussion throughout the team's history. The Men in Green haven't earned a reputation for exceptional fielding and have often faced criticism for their lapses in this department. Their poor fielding standards have, on numerous occasions, contributed to the loss of crucial matches.
In stark contrast, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are widely considered one of the greatest fast-bowling duos in cricket history. Renowned for their exceptional skills and lethal bowling, they were a formidable force during their playing days.
Shaheen Afridi shines with the ball in Pakistan's 9-wicket win over Australia
Despite a momentary lapse in the field, Shaheen Afridi shone with the ball in the second ODI against Australia. He made a strong start by dismissing both openers, Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, within the first powerplay.
Afridi's impressive performance continued as he later removed Adam Zampa as well. His final figures of 3 for 26 in 8 overs played a crucial role in bundling out Australia for a meager total of 163 runs, which Pakistan chased down with nine-wickets to spare. This marked Australia's lowest-ever first-innings score against Pakistan in an ODI match.
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