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So Near Yet So Far! Shaheen Afridi Missed A Hat-Trick By Inches On The Hundred Debut

Akshita Patel

Shaheen Afridi has a dream debut in The Hundred [Source: @thehundred/X.com]Shaheen Afridi has a dream debut in The Hundred [Source: @thehundred/X.com]

In a thriller of a spell that left fans on the edge of their seats, Pakistan bowler Shaheen Afridi almost wrote history with a stunning first-over rampage. He was cruelly robbed of a hat-trick by the narrowest of margins during the 2023 Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals encounter.

Welsh Fire were on the back foot, having to defend just 95 runs against a powerful Originals’ lineup. Afridi, meanwhile, was making his debut in The Hundred with Fire and left an immediate impact.

Shaheen Afridi Set The Hundred Ablaze With Sensational First Over

It all began with ball one of the second inning, where Shaheen Afridi nailed an unplayable in-swinger that crashed into Phil Salt’s pads, trapping him LBW. 

Then came ball two, a thunderbolt yorker that hit the pads and sent Laurie Evans packing on a golden duck in another plumb LBW dismissal. The two deliveries were enough to stun and silence the English crowd.

Two balls, two wickets, and a stadium roaring in disbelief. The crowd held its breath for the third with Afridi aiming for a historic hat-trick on his very first over in The Hundred.

Shaheen Afridi's thunderous Hundred debut [Source: @WisdenCricket/X.com]Shaheen Afridi's thunderous Hundred debut [Source: @WisdenCricket/X.com]

But it wasn’t meant to be, as Max Holden soon hit back with four boundaries in Afridi’s next five balls. Still, the damage was done. Despite Jos Buttler's valiant unbeaten 37 off 18, Manchester Originals fell nine runs short, ending on 85/4.

The win was Welsh Fire's first in The Hundred since 2021, having lost all their games in 2022, and it was powered by Afridi’s fire.

Meanwhile, Afridi finished with 2 wickets in 10 balls, giving away 24 runs, and reminded the cricket world, once again, why he's arguably the most dangerous new-ball bowler on the planet.

The Pakistani speedster went on to play 6 games in The Hundred 2023 season and scalped 6 wickets in total with a 7.56 economy. However, due to national duties, he never returned to The Hundred competition again.