Shahid Afridi's catch in World Cup most difficult of career: Sreesanth

Shahid Afridi's catch in World Cup most difficult of career: Sreesanth

By Web Desk
July 02, 2020
Sreesanth (L) and Shahid Afridi (R). 

India pacer Sreesanth has said that his career’s most 'pressurised' catch was of former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi’s during the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup final between the arch-rivals.

Sreesanth, in a live session on Instagram with Crictracker, said that while the Indian cricket fraternity agreed that Misbah-ul-Haq’s catch was pivotal in the final, he felt the Afridi’s catch was the toughest.

For context, Misbah had attempted to scoop the ball in the final when the Men in Green needed six runs with four ball remaining. However, the then-cricketer miscalculated as Sreesanth caught the crucial shot.

"Coming to Misbah’s wicket, I was thinking to dive right or left and stop the ball so that Misbah will not take two runs. I wasn’t even thinking of catching the ball," he said.

"Even Dhoni bhai said in an interview that it (Misbah’s catch) was one of the most pressurised catches in Indian cricket history. But, for me Afridi’s catch in that game is the most pressurised catch in my career."

The pacer said that teammate Irfan Pathan had predicted that Afridi would miscalculate the shot and gave Sreesanth a heads up to take the catch which gave the pace added pressure. 

"For me, Afridi’s catch was the toughest. Pathan told me that ‘Afridi will surely try to hit me for a six, ball will come towards long off and he will get out on first ball, tu pakad lena’. He saw that wicket happening, he was literally having Afridi’s wicket many times. Luckily ball went up in the air, and I caught it," he said. 

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