T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi impressed with Asif Ali – Pakistan are on a roll and while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have anchored their batting, Asif Ali stole the show. His 7-ball 25 powered Pakistan to an important win against Afghanistan in the last match. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is mighty impressed with Ali, saying that he even played better than him.
That Asif Ali’s innings included four sixes and he was confident that he could hit 25 runs off Karim Zanat’s 19th over. With Pakistan needing 24 runs off the last two overs, Ali chased the stiff target in style, hammering Zanat for 24 with four sixes to lead Pakistan to a 5-wicket win over Afghanistan.
T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi’s big compliment for true finisher Asif Ali, says ‘He played better than me’
Shahid Afridi, who was attending the match in Dubai, was asked what he thought of Asif Ali’s innings. He said, “He played better than Shahid Afridi.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was equally impressed as three wins in a row meant Pakistan have almost assured themselves of a semifinal berth.
T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi’s big compliment for true finisher Asif Ali, says ‘He played better than me’
“I was very confident Asif would get us out of any trouble we find ourselves in. Asif’s hitting was clean, and that’s why we selected him. He is a true finisher,” Babar Azam said.
Pakistan’s New Shahid Afridi – It was also might of a comeback from a man, who has often been criticised for not living up to the expectations. But against Afghanistan, he finally left his shell and played a match-winning knock.
The 30-year-old’s selection for the T20 World Cup squad had caused an uproar in Pakistani media, with many terming his inclusion as “flawed”. He was often guilty of letting the team down in international matches in the past.
Asif Ali you beauty #PakvsAfg pic.twitter.com/ohq4bzGIMu
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) October 29, 2021
T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi’s big compliment for true finisher Asif Ali, says ‘He played better than me’
“The statsmen will only tell you that you have scored 10 runs from three innings (13 runs from three innings),” Asif commented in press interaction. “But they ignore the fact that you’ve played only two or three balls of the last over. I was badly abused & criticized by everyone, but I never paid any attention to it. I stay away from social media”
- His best score of 41 against Zimbabwe had come in July 2018, and he failed to reach double-digit scores from his last four innings.
- At the international level before the World Cup, Asif had a modest strike rate of 123.74 from 29 T20Is.
- In domestic T20s, Asif boasted off a strike rate of 147.02 in 203 matches.
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