Legendary Pakistan bowler foreshadowed an incident during the second ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Adelaide. Akram, on commentary, was told that during his era, him and pace bowling partner Waqar Younis would send stumps flying and trap batters leg-before-wicket. Akram joked that that was because the bowlers did not trust the Pakistan fielders and, therefore, they’d have to get the wickets by themselves. In a hilarious coincidence, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi went on to drop a catch in the ongoing game in the very next ball, proving Akram’s sarcasm scarily true.
“We did not trust our fielders. We only heard ‘Sorry’ from the slip cordon, or ‘We didn’t see the ball’,” said Akram jokingly.
Wasim Akram told us he couldn’t trust his fielders, and the very next ball… pic.twitter.com/iZpa4rvhRx
— Triple M Cricket (@triplemcricket) November 8, 2024
Almost immediately, Akram’s statement was proven right in the match going on. Australian opener Matthew Short had tried to hook Naseem Shah, but it ended up coming straight at Shaheen Afridi fielding at deep square leg. Unfortunately, Afridi ended up dropping the catch, causing uproar in the commentary box.
“Exactly (on what he was saying earlier). That could’ve changed the game and put a lot of pressure on Australia, but Shaheen Shah Afridi did not judge the height,” Akram lamented.
Despite the incredible coincidence of a dropped catch while Akram was speaking about the same issue, Pakistan did not face much trouble in the game. Shaheen Afridi made up for his dropped catch by picking up Matthew Short’s wicket himself.
Haris Rauf went on to take five wickets, while Shaheen took three, as Pakistan bowled out Australia for a mere 163. Pakistan chased down the target with ease, with Saim Ayub top-scoring with a cracking 71-ball 82, laced with five boundaries and six sixes.
Pakistan’s win meant that they levelled the three-match ODI series at 1-1, heading into the final game. It was also Mohammad Rizwan’s first win as Pakistan’s new white ball captain.
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