Watch: Shaheen Afridi Picks Consecutive Wickets in His First Over on The Hundred Debut

Shaheen Shah Afridi made a roaring debut in the Hundred, picking two back-to-back wickets in his first over for Welsh Fire against Manchester Originals on August 2. Afridi was given the responsibility of the new ball when Manchester had to chase down 95 runs off 40 balls in the rain-affected encounter. Philip Salt and Laurie Evans were the batters who fell victim to Afridi’s fiery inswingers. A clip of the destruction was dropped on the official Twitter page of the Hundred. “This is Shaheen Afridi, everyone,” the tweet read.

In the very first ball, Afridi delivered a brilliant yorker to Philip Salt. The English opener tried to flick it to the leg side, but the ball directly hit his pads, resulting in an LBW. Afridi maintained the same length in the next ball, but a bit closer to the middle stump.

Newly arrived batter Laurie Evans got baffled by the lethal pace as he could not connect the ball. The umpire didn’t hesitate much to raise his finger as it was another clear-cut LBW. After the commanding first over, Shaheen Afridi looked quiet during the remainder of the match. The 23-year-old conceded 24 runs in his 10-ball spell.

Looking at the match, Manchester Originals won the toss and sent Welsh Fire to bat first before rain played a spoilsport at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. As the start got delayed due to heavy showers, the officials decided to make it a 40-ball per side game. Opener Luke Well gave Welsh a blistering start. He smashed 57 runs off just 23 deliveries, a knock that was decorated with seven boundaries and three sixes. Powered by a 19-run cameo from Glenn Philips, Welsh could produce 94 runs in 40 balls.

After Shaheen Afridi ripped through Manchester’s top order, Jos Buttler and Max Holden joined hands and began the rescue operation. Both batters scored 37 runs off 18 balls and looked promising to achieve the target. But the upcoming batters failed to assist them, with Manchester falling 9 runs short of the required total. After the first round of the group league, Welsh Fire occupies the top spot in the points table.