Five Pakistani six-shooting superstars, from Miandad to Naseem
In a dramatic duel, Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah blasted Afghanistan left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi for consecutive sixes in the penultimate over Wednesday, advancing his team to the Asia Cup final.
Tigercric takes a look at five great six-hitting moments in Pakistani cricket history:
– Javed Miandad –
India supporters still remember Javed Miandad’s final-ball six off Chetan Sharma in the 1986 Austral-Asian Cup final in Sharjah.
Pakistan was in trouble at 61-3, needing 246 to win, until Miandad hit an unbroken 116 off 114 balls.
With four runs needed off the final delivery, India’s fast bowler Sharma threw a full toss, and Miandad slogged it high over the leg side and into the crowd, eliciting wild celebrations.
– Mujtaba leveler – In 1992, Asif Mujtaba, a left-handed courageous middle-order batsman, faced Australia’s bowlers in a 50-over World Series match and struck a six off the final ball from Steve Waugh to tie a tense game.
Pakistan fell to 197-7 when chasing 228 in Hobart, but Mujtaba held steady, and with 17 required off the last over, Australia’s skipper handed the ball to part-time seamer Waugh.
Mujtaba smashed him to all areas before dispatching the last delivery, a full toss, over midwicket to tie the game.
– ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi –
Shahid Afridi’s maverick batting won many entertaining games for Pakistan, but his two sixes off India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in a 2014 Asia Cup 50-over encounter stand out.
Pakistan, chasing 246, needed 10 runs when Ashwin took a wicket in the 50th over.
But Afridi hammered the off-spinner for two consecutive sixes to live up to his ‘Boom Boom’ moniker as Pakistan prevailed by one wicket and two balls.
– Asif appears –
When Asif Ali struck four consecutive sixes off Afghanistan’s Karim Janat to herald his presence at last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, he was relatively unknown.
When Asif came in to bat, Pakistan needed 26 from 18 balls.
In the 18th over, Asif stood patiently at the non-end striker before hammering Janat over the ropes four times to send Pakistan home with an over to spare.
– Naseem heroics –
On Wednesday, Naseem Shah became Pakistan’s newest six-hitting hero when he went in to bat at number 10 with Pakistan needing 20 from 10 balls and only two wickets in hand in their 130-run chase against Afghanistan.
Pakistan lost Asif in the 19th over, but Naseem retained his calm to smash Farooqi’s attempted yorkers for consecutive straight sixes over long-off with 12 required off the last over.
