They say all’s well that ends well, and boy, does Pakistan’s Asif Ali live by that motto. Not satisfied with blasting 27 runs off 12 balls ...
They say all’s well that ends well, and boy, does Pakistan’s Asif Ali live by that motto.
Not satisfied with blasting 27 runs off 12 balls to help take his side to victory over New Zealand last time out, the ‘finisher’ went even more berserk against Afghanistan.
Striding to the crease with 26 off 18 balls required for victory, Pakistan were stumbling at the finish line, but their No.6 had other ideas.
On strike in the 19th over, with 24 needed from 12 balls at what appeared to be a pretty daunting run rate of 12 an over, Asif was unperturbed.
Unwilling to see things go into the final over, he smashed four clean sixes off the bowling of Karim Janat to get his side over the line in some style with six balls to spare.
Asif’s clean ball striking has become a theme of the ICC Men’s World T20 2021 and has been a big part of why Pakistan are now three from three in the Super 12s and on top of Group 2 on the verge of clinching a semi-final place.
Asif, 30, though had to overcome a lot of doubters to get to this stage. Despite having the leading run-scorer for Faisalabad in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy but he wasn’t...
