T20 Blast 2023

Watch: Shaheen Shah Afridi knocks batter off feet, demolishes stumps in stunning, record-breaking four-wicket opening over | T20 Blast

by Wisden Staff July 1, 2023 - 5:43am 2 minute read

Watch: Notts quick Shaheen Afridi burst through Birmingham’s top half with a thundering opening spell, claiming four wickets in the first over in the 2023 T20 Blast.

All four of Alex Davies, Chris Benjamin, Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard were sent back across six balls, leaving Birmingham tottering at 7-4 in their chase of 170.

It started with five wides, but Shaheen set his radar back in place almost instantly.

Skipper Davies had no answers to Afridi’s searing yorker, which crumpled him to the ground and had him lbw. Benjamin tried a bizarre ramp first up but could do little as the ball speared into his stumps. Mousley was more conventional, but his uppish drive was snapped by a sharp catch from Olly Stone at point. Barnard, too, could do little with the final ball of the over, losing his stumps to a yorker.

It is the first instance of a bowler taking four wickets in the opening over of a T20 game.

Stunningly, though, Afridi’s effort wasn’t match-winning. Rob Yates’ 65, along with a few lower-order cameos, secured a narrow two-wicket win, and a home quarter-final spot for Birmingham.