Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

David Warner and Shaheen Afridi square up to each other before bursting into laughter

During the third and final Test between Australia and Pakistan in Lahore, David Warner and Shaheen Shah Afridi shared what at first appeared to be a tense moment.

After Pakistan collapsed from 214-2 to 268 all out in their first innings on day three, Australia had three overs to see out before the close of play. Openers Warner and Usman Khawaja managed to do just that, with the visitors 11-0 heading into day four.

Off the final ball of the day, Warner successfully saw off a short ball from Afridi before screaming 'no run'. Afridi then advanced towards Warner and the pair shared a brief stare down before bursting into laughter.

And the commentators also shared a chuckle at the interaction, with Mike Haysman saying: "A bit of fun between the two at the end, both broke into a smile." Former Australia bowler Michael Kasprowicz added: "This is how great this series has been: the short and the tall."

The image of the pair going face-to-face quickly went viral, with the height difference between the 6ft 6 Afridi and 5ft 7 Warner a stark one. The Australia opener later shared an image on Instagram of himself and Afridi sharing a hug.

After play resumed on day four, Warner managed to reach his fifty before getting dismissed by Afridi. The left-arm quick produced an excellent delivery which beat Warner's defences and sent his off-stump flying.

As Warner left the field, Afridi approached him and the pair shook hands. Australia went on to make 227-3, with Khawaja scoring an excellent century, before captain Pat Cummins made a bold declaration.

His decision left Pakistan needing 351 runs to win from a minimum of 121 overs and they ended day four on 73-0 and needing a further 278. Despite the hosts' excellent start to their chase, Khawaja has backed his skipper's decision.

"Personally, I think we declared at the right time," he said. "I'm always of the belief that you want to leave yourself more time and not run out of time rather than trying to be too worried about them scoring the runs. They started well today but it's not easy out there. So they have to do it again for the whole 90 overs."

Can you help underprivileged children experience the joy of cricket? Charity Bat for a Chance donates cricket kit to those most in need and is also fundraising. Find out more here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.