An elated Pakistan captain Babar Azam said that Naseem Shah’s winning shot against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup Super 4 match reminded him of Javed Miandad’s last-ball six against India in 1986. Much like Naseem, Javed had also helped Pakistan secure a one-wicket win over India by hitting a last-ball six bowled by Chetan Sharma at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the final of the Austral-Asia Cup.
Naseem struck two superb sixes in the final over as Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by one wicket in a tense Asia Cup Super 4 match to seal the final berth on Wednesday. Afghanistan were firmly in control of the match till the last over, reducing Pakistan to 118 for nine. But, Naseem had other plans as he hit Fazalhaq Farooqi for two consecutive sixes to send both Afghanistan and India out of the reckoning for a final berth.
“To be honest, the dressing room was very tense. The team was walking in and out of the dressing room. Excellent with the way Naseem Shah finished it off. Sharjah is always low-scoring, and Mujeeb and Rashid Khan are one of the best bowlers,” Babar Azam said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“We just wanted to take the match deep. The way we started with the ball was excellent. In our batting, we didn’t execute our plans very well, but Naseem was outstanding.
“At the back of my mind, I have seen Naseem play like this earlier, and I had belief in him. This moment reminds me of Javed Miandad’s six. We would like to continue this momentum and not repeat our mistakes. Every day is a ber day, and we would like to take it day by day,” Babar added.
