I had the belief I could hit sixes: Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah has turned a lot of heads in this Asia Cup. But that came from his skill with the ball in hand in what was his T20I debut for Pakistan, against India. He cleaned up KL Rahul first ball and continued to be a menace in the PowerPlay for the Indian side, beating Virat Kohli's bat repeatedly. Naseem, who'd already established himself as a fine Test bowler, came into the tournament with the pressure of having to shoulder the bowling burden in the absence of the experienced Shaheen Shah.

Yet, with Pakistan's Asia Cup campaign on the line, it was Naseem's batting on the night that left an indelible mark on the tournament. Pakistan had made a complete mess of what should've been a straightforward run chase as an incredibly spirited Afghanistan side just refused to give up despite posting just 129 for 6. In reply, Pakistan limped to 110 for 8 in 18.2 overs when Naseem walked out as the No. 10 batter. He watched as Asif Ali wiped out six from the deficit with a big hit, but fell just the next ball to leave Pakistan nine down and needing 12 off 7. That became 11 off 6 with Naseem on strike against FazalHaq Farooqi. Afghanistan were in control at this stage, until Farooqi miscontrolled two attempted yorkers and dished out full tosses instead, and Naseem deposited them for two straight sixes to