Shaheen Afridi, renowned for his knack of taking wickets in the opening over, etched his name into the record books with a remarkable display during Nottinghamshire’s Vitality T20 Blast match against Birmingham Bears on Friday.
Taking the ball in hand to commence the second innings, Afridi didn’t just claim one, two, or three wickets but an astonishing four dismissals, leaving the cricketing world awestruck.
Defending a total of 169 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Afridi first trapped Warwickshire captain Alex Davies leg-before-wicket for a golden duck, having conceded five wides off the first delivery.
In his very next ball, he clean bowled Chris Benjamin, leaving the opposition reeling. Continuing his dominance, Afridi then induced a catch to dismiss left-handed batsman Dan Mousley for just one run.
Just when it seemed he was done for the over, Afridi produced a delivery that dismantled Ed Barnard’s off stump, resulting in another first-ball duck. Finishing the first over with astonishing figures of seven for four, he left spectators in awe of his prowess.
Watch the four-wicket haul.
Shaheen Afridi, you cannot do that!! 💥 https://t.co/ehXxmtz6rX pic.twitter.com/wvibWa17zA
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 30, 2023
Despite Afridi’s incredible four-wicket haul, his team could not secure victory. A resilient 46-ball 65 from opener Robert Yates, along with valuable contributions from the lower order, including twin 27s from Jacob Bethell and Jake Lintott, propelled Birmingham Bears to a hard-fought win with two wickets in hand.
With this extraordinary feat, Afridi has amassed a total of 20 wickets in 13 matches this season, establishing himself as the leading wicket-taker for Nottinghamshire.
