Two sixes of successive balls in the last over against Afghanistan propelled Pakistan into the final of the Asia Cricket Cup and threw up a new mercurial all-rounder in the form of Naseem Shah.
The teenager, who impressed the world with his scintillating pace in the earlier matches, Wednesday showed his batting talent, hitting two sixes to send two sides, Afghanistan and India, out of the event.
Pakistan, who recorded massive wins against Hong Kong and India, saw a sudden batting collapse in pursuit of a paltry 130-run target. Afghanistan were restricted to 129 runs in their T20 innings.
The middle order embarrassment for Pakistan, one of the top sides in the world, for a while seemed to suggest that India could make it to the finals if Afghanistan won against Pakistan.
Afghan fans were left stunned and many cried as they came close to registering their first-ever victory against their champion neighbor.
The action became breathtaking in the final over, when Pakistan still needed 11 runs to pull off a victory.
It was a moment cut out for young Naseem Shah, who produced two mercurial sixes to lead Pakistan to a one-wicket sensational victory.
“I had self-belief. I knew they will try to bowl yorkers at me. So I hit the two shots,” a delighted Shah said as Pakistani fans celebrated the arrival of the newest cricket star.
Shah’s sixes were reminiscent of former captain Javed Miandad’s last-ball six which gave Pakistan a memorable win in 1986 in the final of the Australasia Cup tournament against India.
