“It will be edge for 4 runs and we will win” - Hasan Ali correctly predicted Pakistan’s result in 2nd ODI against Afghanistan
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali turned into a soothsayer (one who predicts the future) for the Men in Green’s result in the second ODI against Afghanistan on Thursday, August 24.
With just a few balls left in the game, Ali took to X (previously known as Twitter) to share his gut feeling that Babar Azam and Co. would win the contest by a boundary via an edge.
Later, Naseem Shah edged the penultimate ball of the game by Fazalhaq Farooqi past the short third man when his team needed three runs off two balls. It raced away for a boundary, and Pakistan won the thriller by one wicket.
Hasan Ali wrote on X:
“I can smell it will be edge for 4 runs, and we will win.”
Following Pakistan's win, he quoted his post:
“Yahoooooooooooooo,” with numerous dancing man emojis.
For the uninitiated, Ali is not part of Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing three-game ODI series against Afghanistan and the 2023 Asia Cup later this month.
The medium-pacer played his last ODI game against West Indies in June 2022. He is currently dropped across formats, having played his last Test and T20I in January 2023 (against New Zealand) and September (against Sri Lanka in the 2022 Asia Cup), respectively.
Ali was last seen in action in the recently concluded Lanka Premier League, where he scalped eight wickets in five games.
“In crunch situations, Naseem has performed well” – Babar Azam lauds Naseem Shah for match-winning boundary for Pakistan
Following the win, Pakistan captain Babar Azam lauded Naseem Shah, who held his nerve to hit a boundary off the penultimate ball to produce a thrilling win for his team. He remained unbeaten on 10 runs off five balls.
Babar said in the post-match show:
“All credit to boys. When we're starting with the bat, we just tried to get partnerships. Just wanted to see after 40 overs where we stand. Had the quality of batting later on."
He added:
"In crunch situations, Naseem has performed well. Always have to improve in cricket. You're never satisfied. Have to play the natural game. Looking forward to the last match. Looking to carry the momentum.”
Shah had earlier achieved a similar feat in the 2022 Asia Cup. He smashed two consecutive sixes against Afghanistan's Farooqi when his team needed 11 runs to win in the final over with one wicket in hand.
Babar Azam and Co. will next be seen in action against Afghanistan in the third ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, August 26.
Click here to check out the full PAK vs AFG 2nd ODI scorecard.