It was a day the place even the locals of Pallekele – who’re welcoming a delayed monsoon — have been hoping for rain gods to point out mercy. Fortunately, for them, they at the least acquired to see Pakistan bowl and India bat – the box-office attraction from each groups – earlier than the rains compelled an abandonment after India set a goal of 267. The night wasn’t all about elemental fury, although, as Shaheen Shah Afridi turned on the warmth to soften India’s top-order. Sarcastically, India’s center order which has created a number of complications in latest occasions was the one which saved the blushes for them.
There could also be extra deadly, menacing, imply quick bowlers going round, however there isn’t one like Afridi with the brand new ball. He isn’t a traditional new ball bowler who’s content material to hurl the ball up and search for motion. With a tall trajectory and skill to clock over 145kmph, he’s a new-ball wizard who conjures unplayable deliveries early within the innings that even batsmen with confirmed mettle discover too scorching to deal with. For practically a decade, particularly within the second half of their careers, the 2 Ws, Wasim and Waqar, had change into stronger with the previous ball. However now with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, watching Pakistan use the brand new ball has change into one of many best experiences on the market in cricket.
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And probably the most superb a part of Afridi’s wizardry lies not simply within the pace and the motion he will get, however how constantly he lands in areas that batsmen know he’s going to ship, however nonetheless manages to breach their defence. Within the 2021 T20 World Cup, he had despatched down his deadly yorker that trapped Rohit Sharma plumb in entrance. Right here, you can see it coming even earlier than he began his run-up and Rohit wasn’t going to be fooled a second time. Little did Rohit know Afridi had began his bluff. The subsequent 16 deliveries he despatched right down to the Indian captain — both facet of the primary rain break — included three yorkers and a dozen incoming ones. Cautious of these deliveries that seamed in, Rohit was batting on the leg-stump guard and even additional down the leg exposing all three stumps. Those that angled away have been being not to mention because it appeared innocent. And off the 18th supply he despatched right down to Rohit, he delivered the KO. Just like the earlier two deliveries that went with the angle, this too pitched on the identical line, but it surely snaked again in and Rohit, like he was in Dubai, was late in getting his bat in line because it took the off-stump.
First time in Asia Cup (ODI) historical past that each one 10 wickets have been taken by pacers 🎯
High quality stuff by @iShaheenAfridi, @iNaseemShah and @HarisRauf14 ☄️#PAKvIND | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/sThyT8ckef
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 2, 2023
In his subsequent over, he had a go at Virat Kohli, who had began off with an imperious cover-drive of Naseem Shah who had had Shubman Gill in all kinds of bother. After letting go of his first supply that he confronted off Afridi, he tried to open the face to the following that was angling away from him, solely to inside-edge it on to the stumps. In his first spell that lasted 5 overs, his consistency stood out. Not a single supply to the right-handed batsmen was brief or huge or overpitched.
Afridi wasn’t completed but. As India started to point out indicators of motoring in the direction of a complete of 300, he returned to evaporate these hopes by eradicating Hardik Pandya, who had introduced his facet again into the sport with 87 off 90 deliveries and was starting to tee off. Afridi outfoxed Hardik with a slower one which was scooped straight to cowl fielder. 5 balls later, he acquired one to form away from Ravindra Jadeja, inducing a nick behind as India’s innings folded for 266 in 48.5 overs.
Despite the fact that it had been pouring closely in Kandy, this little city had no traces of rain up till the afternoon the place India and Pakistan have been coming face-to-face in an ODI for the primary time for the reason that 2019 World Cup on Saturday. The indicators have been ominous when the darkish clouds that had descended over Kandy within the morning headed in the direction of Pallekele. Based on the locals, the topography of the place is such that when it rains in Kandy it often stays clear in Pallekele city which is located beneath the second greatest metropolis within the island. However on Saturday, the darkish clouds that have been largely passing by Pallekele stayed put for the more severe, bringing in regular drizzle and heavy rain at occasions, extra so within the second-half of the night, a lot to the agony of the hundreds of followers who had braved the climate and waited on the grass banks on both facet with simply umbrellas as cowl. Despite the fact that the heavy rain that battered the bottom stopped round 8.35 PM native time, and there was a quick pause which prompted the groundstaff to take the covers off and gamers to warm-up one other spell of slight drizzle that began after the inspection of the outfield round 9.05 PM, introduced the covers on and with that the curtains.