Former Pakistan cricket team captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi barely saved his face in the third match of the currently ongoing US Masters T10 League in the USA.
The inaugural match of the recently launched T10 league encountered a damp beginning once the coin had been tossed. Under the leadership of Robin Uthappa, the Atlanta Riders elected to field first against the Texas Chargers, captained by Ben Dunk.
As the teams were poised to take the field, a lightning alert in the vicinity of the stadium caused a delay. After a considerable wait, the game was ultimately called off.
In the subsequent match, history repeated itself with yet another abandonment following the coin toss. Gautam Gambhir, at the helm of the New Jersey Tritons, chose to take the field after a delayed toss against Suresh Raina’s California Knights.
Unfortunately, as the game was about to commence, rain made a comeback and persisted, preventing any play during this encounter.
The third match of the day was played between the New York Warriors (NYW) and the Morrisville Unity (MU) and thankfully there was no rain to delay or abandon the match.
After being asked to bat first in the match, New York Warriors’ Richard Levi’s explosive innings of 66 from 25 balls, including 4 fours and seven sixes, propelled New York to a total of 124.
The opening partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kamran Akmal provided a solid foundation.
In response, Chris Gayle managed a 12-ball 12 before Morrisville slumped to 33 for 3 within the first five overs. Obus Pienaar and Jayasuriya fought back with a flurry of boundaries, edging closer to victory.
Shehan Jayasuriya and Calvin Savage of Morrisville Unity took them close to the target of 125 set by New York Warriors.
Morrisville now needed 28 runs from the last over, that was bowled by former Pakistan skipper and all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Facing the first two balls, Calvin Savage scored a boundary and a single, giving strike to more set Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya then smashed Afridi’s next three ball for a 2 Sixes and a boundary. However, on the last ball, it was too much for them, needed 7 runs and 6 for a tie, however, Afridi bowled a dot and nearly escaped a blunder that would have talk of the town on social media by now. In the end, the New York Warriors won the match by 6 runs.
