‘Thoda muskaralo padosiyon’ – Fans react as Shaheen Afridi registers magnificent 5-wicket haul in ODI World Cup 2023 clash against Australia in Bengaluru

Pakistan premium pacer Shaheen Afridi roared back to form with a brilliant performance in Pakistan’s ODI World Cup clash against Australia at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, October 20. After a disappointing outing against India in the previous match, Shaheen Afridi proved his mettle by clinching a sensational five-wicket haul.

Afridi’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, rescuing Pakistan from what seemed like a perilous situation. This remarkable feat marked his third five-wicket haul in the ODI format, and notably, his second in ODI World Cups. His 5 wickets also included the crucial wicket of Mitchell Marsh who played a brilliant knock of 121 runs.

Brilliant batting performance by Warner and Marsh

Talking about the match, David Warner and Marsh put on a sensational opening stand of 259 with both of them scoring hundreds on a pitch where the new ball seemed to be coming on beautifully. Warner was dropped early on in his innings as Usama Mir put down an absolute sitter, and he made Pakistan pay dearly. 

Both players stitched a massive 259-run stand for the first wicket. Pakistan did fight back though towards the end as it got older, the ball appeared to be holding into the surface a lot more, making it hard for the new batters to find any kind of rhythm. Their cause wasn’t helped by a resurgent Shaheen who was the pick of the bowlers and took his first five-for of the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

Even Haris Rauf, who was smashed for 56 runs in his first four overs, made a good comeback at the end as Australia lost 6 wickets for just 70 runs in the final 10 overs. After the openers, the remaining batters of the Australian team batted horribly and were restricted to the score of 367 runs. However, at one stage, it was looking like the Kangaroos would get past the 400-run target.

Here’s how fans reacted: