Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) playfully mocked Pakistan's fast bowler Shaheen Afridi following India's victory in the final T20I of the five-match series against Australia in Bengaluru on December 3. PBKS praised Arshdeep Singh's performance in the final over, successfully defending nine runs.
The social media post alluded to Afridi's challenge against Matthew Wade in the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final between Pakistan and Australia where Wade hit three consecutive sixes in the 19th over when Australia needed 22 from 12 balls.
Despite Afridi's impressive performance throughout the tournament, he faltered under pressure as Wade aggressively targeted the left-arm pacer, concluding the chase in the 19th over. Wade's impactful hitting in slog overs denied Pakistan a spot in the final.
Wade, leading Australia in India, had been consistently effective, remaining unbeaten throughout the five-match series until December 1. He has played the finisher's role in previous games. However, on December 3, Arshdeep outsmarted Wade in the final over, securing his dismissal and conceding only three runs. Although Australia required just 10 runs to win, Arshdeep's performance helped India successfully defend 160 runs in the final T20I in Bengaluru.
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The wicketkeeper-batter struck three consecutive sixes off Afridi in the 19th over, clinching a thrilling win for his team.
PBKS posted a video on the social media platform X and wrote: “Not against this left-arm pacer, Matthew Wade.”
The post sparked divided reactions on social media, yet the majority recognised its light-hearted intent.
Arshdeep faced a challenging outing until captain Suryakumar Yadav entrusted him with the final over. Despite conceding 37 runs in his initial three overs, Arshdeep rose to the occasion, displaying resilience and character in the crucial final over.
"I was not thinking too much. I had nothing to lose. The chat was the same with Surya bhai, 'let's see what happens'. I was thinking yes, I can win this for the team because I had nothing to lose. I gave away a lot of runs. At that time, I wanted to back my strengths," Arshdeep recalled his final over.
"I went with gut feel, I wanted to start with a bouncer. Then when I got wade's wicket, I was assured that I had done the job," he added.
Under the captaincy of Suryakumar, India secured a 4-1 victory in the T20I series. Their next assignment is a three-match T20I series in South Africa, commencing on December 10.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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