Afridi removed Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai in his first two overs
Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has returned to his best after the injury as the 22-year-old bowled a stunning opening spell with the new ball in T20 World Cup warm-up match against Afghanistan in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Shaheen removed Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai in his first two overs to send them on the backfoot with pacey deliveries. But what would worry Afghanistan the most was the state of Gurbaz after he was dismissed.
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The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter was in immense pain after being struck on the left foot by a brutal Shaheen Shah Afridi yorker in the fifth delivery of the first over. It was full, quick and swinging in and it hit his front foot before he could even get close to getting his bat down on time. The umpire raised his finger but that was the least Gurbaz's concern as he was already down wincing in pain.
The play was stopped for some time with the physios coming out to treat Gurbaz, who did not seem comfortable at all. After some time, the Afghanistan opener was carried off the field by a substitute fielder as the former couldn't walk.
As per the latest reports, Gurbaz has been rushed to a nearby hospital for scans on his left foot. Afghanistan will be keeping their finger crossed for Gurbaz, one of their mainstays at the top of the order and their wicketkeeper. Afghanistan have their Super 12 match against England in Perth on Saturday.
Talking about the game, Afghanistan scored 154/6 after being put into bat first by Pakistan. Shaheen finished with figures of 2/29 while Haris Rauf bagged 2/34.
Afghan skipper Mohammad Nabi scored 51 off 37 balls while Ibrahim Zadran made 35 off 24. Usman Ghani contributed with a cameo of 32* off 20 balls.
Pakistan openers scored 19 in 2.2 overs after constant rain interrupted the game and the match was abandoned.