Pakistan
Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi had a chastening start to his Lanka Premier League campaign for Kandy Royals, as he was tonked across the park by Dambulla Sixers’ batters.
Shaheen fails to stay afloat
Shaheen bowled a total of three overs and conceded 41 runs while taking just one wicket.
The left-arm pacer began in a dominating fashion as he struck on the very first ball, getting rid of Dinesh Chandimal. But it all went downhill from there and culminated in a 15-run over, including two sixes off Gulbadin Naib.
Shaheen’s fellow countrymen Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Wasim, both playing for Dambulla, had a decent start by comparison.
Wasim grabs a couple
Wasim dismissed two batters in his quota of four overs for the bargain of 39 runs. His victims included Kandy’s top-scorer Dale Phillips, who scored 52 off 44 balls.
Farhan, meanwhile, could only stay for a cameo earlier in the innings. He scored 23 off 13 but was hoodwinked by Nuwan Thushara’s slower ball. Dambulla eventually won the game by 18 runs as a 206-run target proved to be too hard for Kandy.
Shaheen was dropped from the side’s next game as they faced Colombo Kaps, though to no avail. Kandy batters could only accumulate 179 runs on a lively pitch and were defeated by Colombo with six wickets to spare. With two defeats in as many games, Kandy Royals are currently at the bottom of the table.
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