• Home
  • Match Hub
  • Naseem Shah Channels His Inner Sheldon Cottrell With Thumping Salute Celebration In Cpl

Naseem Shah Channels His Inner Sheldon Cottrell With Thumping Salute Celebration In CPL

Akshita Patel

Naseem Shah grabs limelight with unique celebration in CPL [Source: @CPL/X.com]Naseem Shah grabs limelight with unique celebration in CPL [Source: @CPL/X.com]

Pakistan star pacer Naseem Shah grabbed the limelight during the inaugural game of the CPL 2025 season by mimicking Sheldon Cottrell’s salute celebration. Shah dismissed Jayden Seales to bowl out the Falcons and celebrated in style.

The Caribbean Premier League 2025 kicked off on August 14 with the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons competing against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the first match. The former batted first but were torn apart by Waqar Salamkheil’s 4-wicket-haul.

At just 110 runs on the board, the Falcons were 9 wickets down, and the final nail in the coffin was darted by Naseem.

Naseem Shah Enjoys Tailender’s Wicket With Unique Celebration

Pakistan’s fast bowler Naseem Shah was summoned to bowl the 18th over of the first inning to nail the final wicket and bowl out the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons to a minimum total.

Naseem charged in, eyes locked on his target. He delivered a skiddy ball, short of a length, that hurried onto tailender Jayden Seales.

The batter, remaining deep in his crease, hit hard across the line, seeking a big hit.. But the timing was all wrong. The ball soared high, hanging in the air as if frozen for a moment. 

At mid-off, Kyle Mayers settled underneath it, hands firm, eyes never departing from the prize. The catch was clean, simple, and certain. Naseem marked the moment with his trademark salute. He cut short his follow-through, stood still, thumped his one leg on the ground and pulled off a salute gesture with a big smile on his face. 

Click here to watch the video

CPL's tweet [Source:  @CPL/X.com]CPL's tweet [Source:  @CPL/X.com]

That being said, the celebration isn’t something new on the cricket field. West Indies’ Sheldon Cottrell first did it years ago, and the trend was then picked up by many fast bowlers across the world, including Naseem.

That being said, Naseem picked 2 wickets for 20 runs in 3.1 overs, and the Falcons were bowled out for 121/10. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots chased it down in 15 overs to seal a comfortable 6-wicket victory.