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[Watch] Babar Azam Roars As Abbas Afridi Castles Clarkson With A Bumrah-esque Yorker

Josh Clarkson's stumps were uprooted by Afridi's yorker. (X)Josh Clarkson's stumps were uprooted by Afridi's yorker. (X)

Pakistan fast bowler Abbas Afridi bowled an absolute peach of a delivery that rattled the stumps of Josh Clarkson in the first innings. Such was the brilliance of the ball that it left Babar Azam celebrating in an animated fashion.

In the penultimate over, Abbas showed his skill with an exceptional performance. He conceded only five runs in the first four balls and then claimed two wickets off the last two deliveries. 

First, he dismissed New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell on the fifth ball, but it was the sixth delivery that grabbed everyone's attention.

Abbas unleashed a yorker aimed at the leg stump, completely outfoxing Clarkson. The ball crashed into the stumps, leaving Clarkson unable to bring his bat down in time. 

With the right-handed batsman departing without scoring, the sixth wicket fell for New Zealand, reducing them to 169 after 19 overs.

Watch: Abbas cleans up with an indipping yorker

NZ thump Pakistan in Lahore

In the early stages of the match, the home team elected to field after winning the toss, sending New Zealand in to bat first. 

Their openers, Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell, started off explosively. Blundell contributed 28 runs off just 15 balls, while Robinson crafted an impressive 51 off 36 balls, marking his maiden T20I fifty. 

Dean Foxcroft added 34 runs from 26 deliveries, supported by James Neesham's unbeaten 11 runs from 11 balls, and skipper Michael Bracewell's 27 off 20 balls. 

The fielding side conceded 14 extras as New Zealand concluded their innings at 178/7 in 20 overs. Afridi stood out among the bowlers with figures of 3/20 in 3 overs.

Pakistan faced a tough start to their chase as captain Babar Azam (5) departed early in the second over.

Youngsters Saim Ayub (20) and Usman Khan (16) attempted aggressive batting but fell in quick succession. Fakhar Zaman tried to get along with Shadab Khan (7), but the latter couldn't replicate his previous game's performance.

Fakhar held one end while Iftikhar Ahmed joined him. Together, they added 61 runs before William O’Rourke's crucial breakthrough shifted the momentum. Despite Fakhar's 61 and Imad Wasim’s 22, the home side fell short by four runs, finishing at 174/8.