Pakistan Shaheens are currently featuring in the Top End T20 series in Australia, and a massive mix-up between the two batters led to the dismissal of an opener, breaking the hundred-run opening partnership against Bangladesh A.
Cricket is a game of nerve, and runouts are one of the most unfortunate dismissals in the game of cricket. When a batter bats, he not only has to look for scoring opportunities but also should have his sight on the traveling ball as well as field placements.
However, a similar incident followed in the match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh A. The two teams are currently participating in the Top End T20 series, with this match being the first game of this edition.
[] Massive mix-up between Pakistan Shaheens openers put an end to 100-run opening stand
The very first game of the fourth edition of the Top End T20 series, held in Darwin, marked Pakistan Shaheens taking on Bangladesh A at the TIO stadium. Having batted first, Pakistan Shaheens were soon off to a flyer.
The two openers, Khawaja Nafay and Yasir Khan, went on to score quick half-centuries, thus posting a hundred-run opening stand for the Shaheens before the massive mix-up occurred.
When Bangladesh A bowler, Hasan Mahmud, came in to bowl the 12th over of the game, the Pakistan Shaheens looked in full control with 118 runs on the board without the loss of a single wicket.
When Yasir Khan faced the first delivery, he edged it onto his pads while the non-striker Nafay ran for a probable single; however, Khan, who never seemed interested, didn’t budge an inch.
The ball was thrown to the non-striker’s end, and Nafay fell short of his ground and was run out. After this, the batter looked frustrated as he threw the bat to the ground and screamed at his partner, quite unreasonably.
Pakistan posted a mammoth total against Bangladesh in the ongoing T20 tournament
With the big opening stand by the two opening batters, Pakistan looked well on top throughout their innings, as they then targeted a bigger score after the stunning start they got.
Nafay, who got run out, scored 61 off just 31 at a strike rate of 196.77, while his opening partner Yasir Khan also looked great with the big 62 off just 40 balls. Abdul Samad, who came in to bat at no. 3, set the cherry on the top with his 23-ball half-century and ended not out on 56 off just 27 balls.
The skipper, Irfan Khan’s 12-ball half-century, was also a very useful contribution in the Shaheens’ innings as they posted a target of 228 runs for the Bangladesh side.
Know more about the Top End T20 Series
The Top End T20 Series is a Twenty20 cricket tournament hosted in the Northern Territory in Australia and is organised by the Northern Territory Cricket Association, which is sanctioned by Cricket Australia. It was first played back in 2022, and this year will mark the fourth edition of the competition.
It consists of teams like the ACT Comets, Adelaide Strikers Academy, Bangladesh A, Chicago-Kingsmen, Hobart Hurricanes Academy, Melbourne Renegades Academy, Nepal, NT Strike, Pakistan Shaheens, and Perth Scorchers Academy.