The second T20I between Ireland and Pakistan was marred by an Afghan fan allegedly hurling abuses at former Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Afridi. In a video that is making rounds on the social media, Afridi is visibly upset with the fan before he stepped into the ground.
In the video, the exact conversation is inaudible but Afridi is visibly upset by the fan's behaviour. The fan did not stop there and continued to harass the Pakistan pacer. As a result, security at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Dublin intervened and removed him from the premises.
However, Afridi did not let the incident affect him. In his second over, Afridi struck twice to dismiss openers Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie. Stirling was caught at mid-on whereas Balbirnie went for the pull shot and was caught at deep square leg.
In his third over, he was expensive as Curtis Campher hit him for two sixes and a four in the 21-run over. In the penultimate over, he got the better of Mark Adair with a low full toss. But Gareth Delany ended Afridi's spell with a six and a four. In his quota of four overs, he conceded 49 runs.
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Afridi achieves major milestone
With three wickets, Afridi joined the list of legendary Pakistan bowlers. He completed 300 wickets in international cricket in his 145th game. He is the 12th Pakistan bowler to achieve the feat in international cricket. The top spot is occupied by Wasim Akram with 916 wickets at the international stage. Afridi is also the leading wicket-taker in the current Pakistan side, even ahead of the veteran Mohammad Amir who has 263 wickets.
The 24-year-old is also the joint fourt-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20Is. He has 85 wickets from 63 games. Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal and pacer Umar Gul have 85 wickets each as well. Shadab Khan is Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the format with 107 wickets followed by Shahid Afridi (97 wickets) and Haris Rauf (90 wickets).
Pakistan level series
Pakistan levelled the three-T20I series with a win in the second T20I. Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 75, Fakhar Zaman's 78-run knock and Azam Khan's cameo helped Pakistan chase down the target of 194 with 21 balls to spare.
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