Naseem Shah celebrates after taking Pakistan to win vs Afghanistan.© AFP
It was a match that was not for the faint-hearted. With only one wicket left, Pakistan made a dash in the last few balls to defeat Afghanistan by the narrowest of margins in the second ODI in Sri Lanka. Number ten batsman Naseem Shah hit a boundary off the penultimate delivery to give Pakistan a dramatic one-wicket win over a luckless Afghanistan in the second ODI at Hambantota on Thursday.
The 20-year-old miscued a boundary off fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and ran jubilantly towards the dressing room as Pakistan scored 11 off the final over to finish with 302-9 in 49.5 overs.
The victory gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the last game in Colombo on Saturday.
“I would like to say that this year, with the chances I have got at the fag end of the innings, I hope I don’t get a heart attack someday. I am very thankful to Allah and his grace as I always try to believe in myself in situations like that,” said Shah in a video posted by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The quote has now been widely shared on social media.
“Let me just say that this year, the sort of situations I have had to face whilst coming into play towards the end of the innings, God Forbid I hope I don’t get a heart-attack!”: Naseem Shah regarding his innings in the final over against Afghanistan in the 2nd ODI #AFGvPAK pic.twitter.com/eiysupkrse
— PakPassion.net (@PakPassion) August 25, 2023
“When I went inside, I believed in Shadab. I believed that we will finish the match. But when Shadab got out, I felt that the situation is now all mine. The bowlers are the same and I had the trust in myself to get the team over the line.”
Shah is happy that he has been taking Pakistan over the line on a quite a few occasions. “I will say that it is a very happy thing and we needed this win a lot. I believed that I can do it.”
“I try to be prepared for such situations as I practice a lot of batting in the nets. I know that my turn is coming when all the breathing lines stop. So I tried again to make the team win and did it. I am just trying to earn respect and rest is all upto almighty,” he added.
With AFP inputs
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