It wasn’t just with the bat that Afridi changed the game. His brilliant spell of 1/20 from 4 overs restricted Sri Lanka to a meagre score of 138
Shahid Afridi. Pic/AFP
June 21 will forever be in the hearts of Pakistan cricket fans and especially Shahid Afridi. This was the day when Afridi’s 54 off 40 balls overpowered Kumar Sangakkara’s 64 to hand the men in green their first and only T20 title in 2009.
However, it wasn’t just with the bat that Afridi changed the game. His brilliant spell of 1/20 from 4 overs restricted Sri Lanka to a meagre score of 138.
OTD in 2009, one of the biggest moments in Pakistan cricket ðµð°
Watch Pakistan’s chase on their way to lifting the ICC Men’s @T20WorldCup trophy ð
— ICC (@ICC) June 21, 2022
He was aided by Abdul Razzaq who took 3 wickets. Meanwhile, the only Sri Lanka batter apart from Sangakkara to make a significant score was Angelo Mathews who scored a quickfire 35.
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After a sluggish start to the chase from Kamran Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan, Afridi came to his team’s rescue. Batting at number 3, Afridi ensured he took his team across the finish line, scoring the winning runs via a leg-bye off Lasith Malinga.
For Sri Lanka it was a case of so near yet so far. However, after coming so close to winning the title, they managed to go one step further and take the honours for themselves in 2014.
