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Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi stunned the cricketing fraternity after claiming four wickets in four balls to guide Hampshire to an improbable victory against Middlesex in Vitality Blast, on Sunday (September 21).
Earlier, Afridi was a crucial member of the Pakistan team that toured England for three Tests and as many T20I matches. He, however, failed to live up to the hype and collective expectations of spearheading the pace attack.
While the rest of Pakistan’s cricketers flew back home, the 20-year-old decided to stay back and hone his craft in England. He joined Hampshire to take part in the Vitality T20 Blast tournament.
In what was Hampshire’s last match of the campaign, Afridi put on a stellar display of fast-bowling and returned with stunning figures of 6/19 in his four overs.
The left-armer accounted for the wickets of John Simpson, Steven Finn, Thilan Walallawita and Tim Murtagh in the last four deliveries of the 18th over to seal the match in Hampshire’s favour.
Here’s the video:
That's it. That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/tmh1gdBCcg
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 20, 2020
Hampshire ends the miserable season on a positive note
Meanwhile, Hampshire ended their six-match losing streak with a win.
Batting first, Hampshire posted a below-par total of 141/9 in 20 overs. Thilan Walallawita and Nathan Sowter were the pick of the bowlers for Middlesex as the duo scalped three wickets apiece.
Chasing a mediocre total of 142, Middlesex were four down on a paltry score of 42 runs in the eighth over. John Simpson ( 48 runs off 40 deliveries) tried to stage a comeback, but an in-swinging yorker from Afridi got the better of him.
The Pakistani pacer didn’t stop and picked three more wickets from his last three balls to become only the sixth player in the history of T20 cricket to claim a double hat trick. Middlesex was eventually bundled-out for 121.
🙌 6 wickets
✅ Best Hampshire T20 figures
😎 Career-best
😱 Four wickets in four ballsWhat a performance from @iShaheenAfridi! 👏⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Lgq8laAKoU
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 20, 2020
