India vs Pakistan: Shaheen Afridi Asked To Follow Footsteps Of Oman Bowler Who Stunned Shubman Gill
During the second over, Shah Faisal bowled a full delivery which rattled Shubman Gill's off stump and provided Oman with their first wicket in just nine balls.
- Oman bowler Shah Faisal dismissed Shubman Gill for 5 with his brilliant full delivery
- Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram advised Shaheen Afridi to follow Shah Faisal's technique against India
- "That's what I want Shaheen to do early on, because the whole world now knows the plan against him," he said
The final Group Stage match of Asia Cup 2025 turned out to be a thrilling one as Oman gave their level best against the mighty India. Batting first, India posted a total of 188/8 in 20 overs with Sanju Samson scoring 56. Later, Oman put up a strong fight with the bat but were restricted to 167/4 and lost the match by 21 runs. Despite losing the game, Oman had memorable fighting moments, especially the dismissal of Shubman Gill for five by Shah Faisal.
During the second over, Faisal bowled a full delivery which rattled Gill's off stump and provided Oman with their first wicket in just nine balls. Seeing this dismissal, former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram urged Shaheen Afridi to take notes from Faisal and prepare accordingly for the upcoming Super Four match against India.
In their Group Stage match, Shaheen failed to scalp a wicket and leaked 23 runs in two overs. Akram advised Shaheen to not to bowl many yorkers.
"That's what I want Shaheen Afridi to do early on, because the whole world now knows the plan against him. They say, 'Okay, he'll be bowling yorkers first up.' So Afridi needs to have a Plan B. This is the length he should be bowling," Akram said on Sony Sports Network.
"I'm fine with one-off yorkers, but not two or three consecutive ones, because if he misses even one, it's going for a boundary with only two fielders outside the circle. He ends up putting pressure on himself. I know he thinks he's being attacking and going for wickets, but mixing it up with length balls is better. One yorker, yes - but not straightaway, and not every ball," he added.
For Oman, Shah Faisal, Jiten Ramanandi, and Aamir Kaleem scalped two wickets each. Later, Kaleem and Hammad Mirza scored 64 and 51 runs respectively.
India and Pakistan are all set to face each other again for their Super Four match on Sunday in Dubai.
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team
Oman
Shaheen Afridi