Asia Cup 2022: "Reminds me of Javed Miandad's six" - Babar Azam on Naseem Shah's winning hit against Afghanistan
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam stated that Naseem Shah's winning shot against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Wednesday, September 7, reminded him of Javed Miandad's last-ball six against India in 1986. Babar admitted that the dressing room was tense before the youngster pulled off the win.
Shah was on strike in the final over with Pakistan needing 11 runs with only one wicket in hand. However, the young speedster smashed consecutive sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi's first two balls, which were full tosses.
6️⃣ 6️⃣ 🔥
Unbelievable end to the #AsiaCup2022 game!
Naseem Shah wins it for Pakistan in the final over with one wicket left 😯
#PAKvAFG | #AsiaCup2022 | Scorecard: bit.ly/3RqlDbd https://t.co/F1A0B3DoSC
Speaking after the one-wicket victory, Babar said he had faith in Shah's ability and that it reminded him of Miandad's exploits at the same venue 36 years ago. He said:
"At the back of my mind, I have seen Naseem play like this earlier, and I had belief in him. This moment reminds me of Javed Miandad's six. We would like to continue this momentum and not repeat our mistakes. Every day is a new day, and we would like to take it day by day."
Earlier, Shah bowled magnificently, returning with figures of 4-0-19-1 as Pakistan restricted Afghanistan to 129-6. The 19-year-old got rid of opposition skipper Mohammad Nabi for a golden duck.
"The team was walking in and out of the dressing room" - Babar Azam
Babar claimed that tensions flooded the dressing room before Shah saved the day against Afghanistan in a low-scoring affair. The Pakistan skipper added:
"To be honest, the dressing room was very tense. The team was walking in and out of the dressing room. Excellent with the way Naseem Shah finished it off. Sharjah is always low-scoring, and Mujeeb and Rashid Khan are one of the best bowlers. We just wanted to take the match deep. The way we started with the ball was excellent. In our batting, we didn't execute our plans very well, but Naseem was outstanding."
Proper nerves of steel moment by @iNaseemShah. One to remember.
Glad to be in the finals. Well done my boys especially @76Shadabkhan! 💚 https://t.co/icc37jJkj8
Following the narrow win, Pakistan booked their place in the Asia Cup 2022 final alongside Sri Lanka. The summit clash will take place in Dubai on Sunday, September 11.
The two sides met in the title decider in 2014, with Sri Lanka emerging victorious. They will meet once again in the final Super 4 fixture on Friday, September 9.