Naseem Shah has stolen the limelight since his T20I debut against India in this Asia Cup 2022. The speedster got rid of KL Rahul on a golden duck while also managing to trouble Virat Kohli while posing a massive threat to the Men in Blue Indian batting side.
After establishing himself in the longest format of the game, Shah has shone in the shortest format of the game. Babar Azam was also seen relying on the youngster during the tournament in the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Despite shining with the ball in the tournament, it was Naseem Shah’s batting against Afghanistan that caught the eye of cricket fans on Wednesday.
Pakistan had restricted Mohammad Nabi’s side to a small total of 129 and were on their way to victory. However, the Men in Green ended up at 110 for 8 and were dangerously close to losing the clash. Naseem Shah walked out as the No. 10 batter at the 18.2 over mark with Pakistan in trouble as the scoreboard required them to score 12 off 7 with only a wicket left.
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With 11 needed off 6, odds were stacked against the Pakistan star as he had to face Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of the game. However, the Afghanistan star bowled two full tosses and saw Naseem Shah hit the ball out of the park and register two sixes and help his side edge out a win in the Super 4 clash of Asia Cup 2022.
That to this♥️😍 pic.twitter.com/8nxQDa8Rn6
— Muhammad Arbaz (@MuhammadArbaz95) September 7, 2022
Pakistan cricket at it’s very best 👏#NaseemShah #AFGvPAK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/i1VVAh1LSp
— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) September 7, 2022
These scenes will be remembered for a lifetime#PAKvAFG #NaseemShah pic.twitter.com/N1XynicpCR
— Samiah Rashid (@Samiah_Rashid) September 7, 2022
You did it for Pakistan . Naseem shah you Beauty.#PAKvAFG #NaseemShah pic.twitter.com/KkCXCvze4g
— Tehseen Qasim (@Tehseenqasim) September 7, 2022
A Pathan two big sixes and a team crying in blue, we’ve seen this before🔥🇵🇰❤️#PakvsAfg #AsiaCup2022 #NaseemShah #NaseemShahYouBeauty #afridi pic.twitter.com/z9EcehT28a
— HamZa ZahoOr (@HamZaZa84647760) September 7, 2022
Look at his expressions 🔥
Angry young men 👑 pic.twitter.com/kkxoHynsej— _H@rîs_ (@imharis_10) September 8, 2022
While fans were in awe of the young Pakistan star’s shocking performance with the bat, the 22 year old shared how he was confident in his ability. Speaking with the media in the post match press conference, Shah claimed, “When I came in to bat, I had the belief I could hit sixes. I practice this. I knew they would bowl yorkers. I just tried and I executed. We train in the nets, so that belief was there. In such matches, when you lose the ninth wicket, no one expects you [to win it], but I had belief that I can. This will be a memorable game for me. “
Despite such antics, many cricket fans believe that Shah’s heroics with the bat is just a ‘one match wonder’. The young Pakistan star has rarely gotten a chance to bat for the national team in the shortest format of the game. Despite boasting a strike rate of 350 in T20I, Shah has faced just four balls so far. With such a small sample size, nothing concrete can be said about Naseem Shah’s batting. It remains interesting to see how the 19-year-old fares out with the bat in the future for the Men in Green.
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Smit is a sports writer at Gutshot Magazine. After completing his Bachelor’s in Mass Media, and a Master’s degree in Sports Management, this sports fanatic uses articles as a tool to express his opinions. Bring up cricket or football and you will find this usually quiet guy speak for hours! He also co-heads the official supporters club of Chelsea FC in Mumbai, wherein he hosts screenings, football meets and other such events.
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