FOREVER A FAVOURITE: Imran Nazir believes Shahid Afridi will always remain a cricketing heartthrob because of his ability to produce magical moments with bat and ball. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Former Pakistan T20I captain Shahid Afridi on Thursday bagged a hat-trick to provide the much-needed fireworks to kick-off the T10 Cricket League in the UAE.
All-rounder dismissed three Maratha Arabian batsmen — South African Rilee Rossouw, West Indian Dwayne Bravo and former Indian opener Virendar Sehwag — to complete the first hat-trick in the newest format.
“When I told Afridi about the new format, he showed a lot interest and was excited about it. I knew he will do something big in the tournament,” said Habib Khan, owner of Afridi’s team Pakhtoons. “The 10-overs-a-side format promised more excitement for the fans as compared to T20. We couldn’t have wished for a better start to the event all thanks to Afridi’s hat-trick.”
Pakhtoons were asked to bat first by Marathas and courtesy Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 45 off 22 balls, the former were able to set a 122-run target Sehwag’s men.
In their reply, only two Maratha batsmen were able to enter double figures — Alex Hales (57 not out) and Hardus Viljoen (11) — as Pakhtoons bagged a 25-run victory after restricting Arabians to 96-7.
Afridi still fan-favourite: Imran Nazir
Pakistani right-handed opener Imran Nazir believes Afridi will always remain a cricketing heartthrob because of his ability to produce magical moments with bat and ball.
“Afridi has been doing this for many years now and his ability to provide excitement to his fans is unmatched,” said Nazir. “His hat-trick in the T10 league and that too by dismissing Sehwag was a treat for his fans.”
Former Pakistan ODI captain Azhar Ali suggested on Twitter that the T10 matches should also experiment with the number of players, since 11 cricketers seem too much for such a short match.
However, Nazir believes, like T20, players and team will need time to adjust to the 10-over format so that they can better utilise their playing elevens.
“When T20 was introduced, the pace of the game seemed to be too fast and players struggled, however, as they played more and more matches they got comfortable,” he said. “Players will adjust to this format too once they play a few more matches.”
He continued by praising Afridi again, saying his hat-trick has triggered more interest in the T10 league.
“Afridi’s hat-trick has surely given the format a push. Now fans have something new to watch as well.”
A Brilliant Hat-Trick from @SAfridiOfficial in Yesterday's #T10League Match !!
— Your Lover (@losing_serenity) December 15, 2017
Scored 10 Runs and Took 3 back to back wickeks!! Also got the Man of the Match Award and played important role in @PakhtoonTeam 's Victory!!#BoomBoom @TEAM_AFRIDI pic.twitter.com/J4EjYTHUYj
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