- Shahid Afridi starred in an exhibition match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
- The 42-year-old scored 25 runs on 17 pitches for the Zalmis.
- Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris put their team in a strong position with the bat.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi stole the show at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta on Sunday during an exhibition match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
The Bugti Stadium, which was packed with Gladiators fans, fell silent as Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris played sensational cricket to put their team in a strong position.
The crowd erupted and chanted ‘Boom Boom’ as soon as Afridi stepped onto the field.
Afridi, 42, shone with the bat as he batted third for the Zalmis. The veteran batter began his inning with a home run and went on to score 25 runs on 17 pitches.
Aside from his batting, he received a lot of attention for his appearance.
Fans flooded the microblogging site Twitter with praise for the batter.
Well played Boom Boom Afridi 25 of 17 balls 👏. You are still great batsmen even at age of 42. Love watching your batting 🏏. #shahidafridi #BoomBoom pic.twitter.com/m8FgBrZNTK
— Hadia Waseem (@SamiaWaseem3) February 5, 2023
LaLa On Fire 🔥
MIGHTY WINNER SHIV #ShahidAfridi pic.twitter.com/KX0LLjylWa
— Mr StRanGer🇵🇸 (@Awaix1) February 5, 2023
Shahid Afridi – 42 years young and stealing the show! 🔥#QGvPZ pic.twitter.com/koiQSpIfr7
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) February 5, 2023
Still Young Nd ever Gorgeous Lala ❤️#ShahidAfridi#QGvPZ pic.twitter.com/YNDhfrAVls
— FaTimaMalik_14 (@FatiMaAwan_14) February 5, 2023
The greatest star of pakistan cricket this country ever produced \0/
BoomBoom Shahid Afridi forever ❤️😭 #PZvsQG #ShahidAfridi pic.twitter.com/fK1Um2apTH
— 𝑨𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒋⛄️ (@iTweeety_) February 5, 2023
Age is just a number for Mr.Shahid Khan Afridi ❤😘 #ShahidAfridi pic.twitter.com/socsd6bfGg
— Khadija Zulafqar (@KhadijaZulafqar) February 5, 2023
#ShahidAfridi looks younger than many of his team mates.😍🤭#PeshawarZalmi #PSL8 #CricketTwitter
— Jay HanGer Channa🇵🇰 (@realjayhanger) February 5, 2023
Day Made ❤️🙌#QGvPZ#ShahidAfridi pic.twitter.com/ud4RrWMJ0E
— عبید بیگ 🇵🇰 (@ObaidBaig16) February 5, 2023
Watching Shahid Afridi bat took me back to my beautiful childhood days. Will be forever grateful to spent my childhood watching him. Thankyou for always entertaining us Lala.🥹💛❤️@SAfridiOfficial #PZvQG pic.twitter.com/cYXWCmj660
— wania♡ (@waniazafar_) February 5, 2023
It should be noted that the home team defeated Peshawar Zalmi by three runs, thanks to exceptional batting by Iftikhar Ahmed and a strong bowling performance by the bowlers.
When the Gladiators batted first, they scored a competitive 184 runs before holding the Yellow Storm to 180.
Wahab Riaz, the veteran pacer, gave Zalmi the perfect start by dismissing Ahsan Ali and Umar Akmal in the second over of the innings, but Quetta fought back in the second half of the innings to post a competitive total.
In the final over of the innings, Ahmed smacked Riaz for six sixes to ensure Quetta finished on a high note. On 94 runs in 50 balls, the right-hander remained unbeaten.
In response, Zalmi were limited to 181-7 in 20 overs.
After reaching 109-1 in 10 overs, it appeared as if Zalmi would cruise to victory.
However, towards the end of the innings, Quetta picked up wickets at regular intervals to halt their opponent’s progress.
Mohammad Haris, who played some spectacular shots, led the way with 53 runs in 35 balls.
Afridi and Babar each scored 25 and 23 runs.
Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of the Quetta bowlers, with figures of 3-30 in four overs.
Meanwhile, to get his team over the line, Naseem Shah defended nine runs in the final over.
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