T20 Blast 2023: Shaheen Afridi's breath taking opening over sets unprecedented record

An expectant crowd at Trent Bridge witnessed greatness unfold in front of their eyes when Nottinghamshire's fast-bowling sensation Shaheen Afridi delivered a record-shattering opening spell against Birmingham Bears. The left-arm pacer set the stage alight, wreaking havoc with the swinging ball to dismiss four batters in the very first over of the second innings, a record in T20 Blast history.

The home side posted a decent tally of 168 runs in their 20 overs, despite a collapse from the lower-order batters. It was all down to wicketkeeper-batter Tom Moores' blistering half-century in the first innings of the match. The visiting Birmingham Bears were in with a shout during the interval, but Shaheen Afridi had other ideas.

The star left-arm pacer from Pakistan dismissed the opposition skipper with the very first legal delivery of the second innings. Chris Benjamin was the next to depart after being rendered helpless by a lethal yorker from Afridi. Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard succumbed on the final two deliveries of Shaheen's opening over, as the Pakistani star became the first bowler to scalp four wickets in the first over of a T20 Blast encounter.

Shaheen Afridi, you cannot do that!! 💥 https://t.co/ehXxmtz6rX pic.twitter.com/wvibWa17zA

— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 30, 2023

Birmingham seal hard-fought victory despite Shaheen Afridi's record-breaking opening over

The result seemed like a foregone conclusion after Shaheen's magical opening over, but the visitors fought their way back into the contest after a brisk partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Rob Yates. Yates went on to stitch another valuable partnership with Jacob Bethell as the Birmingham Bears started to turn the tide in the latter stages. 

Yates' half-century, coupled with Jake Lintott's late blitz with the bat, undid the Pakistani pacer's good work at the top of the innings as the visitors sealed a memorable victory from an unlikely position. Birmingham Bears solidified their position on top of the North Group courtesy of this victory.