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Shaheen Shah Afridi set the World Cup on fire when he got rid of top players like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with the new ball in Pakistan’s big match against India and even in the semifinal sent back Australian captain Aaron Finch in the first over, but Pakistan went on to lose the semis against Australia.

Hasan Ali’s 18th over went for 15 and he dropped Matthew Wade in the 19th before he unfurled a hat-trick of sixes off Shaheen Shah Afridi. The young pacer conceded three back to back sixes off Matthew Wade who guided eventual champions Australia to the finals.

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali. Pic: Getty Images

Shaheen Shah Afridi Opens Up On Losing Semifinal Of 2021 T20I WC To Australia

After the dropped catch by Hasan Ali in the penultimate over, Australian keeper Matthew Wade subsequently smacked Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi for three consecutive sixes as Australia won with an over to spare.

“It was… (difficult). Luck wasn’t on our side, we can say that. We tried to give our best. Shadab bowled so well, Fakhar batted so well. But overall, the tournament and the entire year was very good for Pakistan. You must have seen, a lot of ICC awards have all come to one place.

“As a team, we have high hopes for this year too. There’s a lot of games coming up… Tests, Asia Cup, World Cup. We are ready for it,” said Shaheen Shah Afridi on the semifinal loss against Australia.

Australia's Matthew Wade and Australia's Marcus Stoinis celebrate after the match. Credit: Reuters Photo — Australia’s Matthew Wade and Australia’s Marcus Stoinis celebrate after the match. Credit: Reuters Photo

Matthew Wade returned unbeaten on 41 off just 17 deliveries as the Aussies were through to the finals with a five-wicket win. However, days after Australia’s first-ever T20I World Cup triumph, Matthew Wade disclosed that he played the high-octane final against runners-up New Zealand on November 14 with a grade 2 side strain.

Matthew Wade (41 not out off 17) and Marcus Stoinis (40 off 31) shared an unbeaten 81-run stand for the sixth wicket to pull off a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the 2nd semi-final.

Shadab Khan’s 4 Wicket Haul Went In Vain As Australia Won The Semis

Pakistan set Australia a target of 177 in 20 overs in the 2nd semi-final in Dubai. In response, Australia lost their skipper Aaron Finch on a golden duck as Shaheen Shah Afridi trapped him LBW in the first over. Then, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh rebuilt, stitching a half-century stand.

However, the joy was short-lived as Shadab Khan sent Mitchell Marsh packing on 28 to leave Australia on 57/2 after 7 overs. Then, Steve Smith fell cheaply on five as Shadab Khan’s twin strike rocked Australia.

But David Warner continued on his merry way, smashing 49 before being sent packing by Shadab Khan. Australia reached 95/4 after 12 overs. Glenn Maxwell didn’t last long either as Shadab Khan bagged the fourth scalp, and Australia reached 127/5 in 16 overs. Marcus Stoinis along with Matthew Wade, put on 81 runs for the 6th wicket in just 6.3 overs to take their side over the line.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, the young pacer took one wicket while conceding 35 runs in his quota of four overs. In the same game, Shadab Khan picked four wickets for Pakistan and Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman had half-centuries to their credit.