Shaheen Afridi's Magic Ball Explained: How Did The Swing Maestro Trap Hardie In 3rd ODI?

Debashis Sarangi∙ Updated: Nov 10 2024, 10:09 AM | 2 Min Read

Shaheen Afridi's brilliant setup to dismiss Hardie [Source: @cricketcomau/X]

Pakistan's prominent fast bowler Shaheen Afridi bowled an exceptional new ball spell in the decider of the ongoing ODI series against Australia at Perth Stadium. Opening the bowling for Pakistan, the left-arm seamer kept the Australian batters on their toes before getting rid of Aaron Hardie with a dream delivery. 

Shaheen Afridi vs Aaron Hardie: How Did The Battle Pan Out?

The incident occurred during the seventh over of Australia's innings when Hardie and Matthew Short were trying to steady the ship following Jake Fraser-McGurk's dismissal. Although the promising all-rounder got a good start to his innings, smashing two brilliant boundaries, he found Shaheen's clinical spell too hot to handle in this must-win affair. 

From over the wicket, Shaheen bowled a good length delivery around the probing off-stump channel. As the ball shaped away, Hardie was indecisive about whether to play or leave it to the wicketkeeper. The error in his judgement led to his dismissal, with Agha Salman taking a sharp catch in the slip cordon. 

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How Did Shaheen Outfox Aaron Hardie?

Hailed for his remarkable swing bowling, Shaheen Afridi deceived Hardie with his brilliant setup. As Wasim Akram explained in the commentary box, the left-arm pacer has fine-tuned his out-swinger, which shapes away from the right-handers. 

He initially varied his lengths beautifully, playing with Hardie's mind. While his in-swingers challenged the batter's technique, the out-swinger emerged as his wicket-taking delivery. 

After challenging Hardie with a few in-swingers, Shaheen pulled his length slightly back for an out-swinger that caught the Australian batter off guard. The all-rounder found it tough to notice the last-minute subtle change in Shaheen's wrist position while bowling the out-swinger. Therefore, as he was late to judge the variation, the ball took the outside edge of his bat and sent him packing. 

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