A yorker is supposed to be the most effective ball in limited overs cricket. For decades, no batsman knew how to convert the yorker into runs. But former Indian captain MS Dhoni changed that perception when he came up with his signature helicopter shot, a shot no cricketer had ever attempted or played. But over the years, as cricket evolved, many shots were invented which weren’t there in the cricketing manual. For example, the ‘dilscoop’, a shot Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan made his own. Off late, we see another cricketer using the helicopter shot to good effect, which is Mohammad Shahzad, the opening batsman of Afghanistan.
Shahzad was seen using the shot during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. He hit the shot when West Indies played Afghanistan in the Qualifiers and that instantly send Twitter into a tizzy.
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Here is the video of the shot:
Never change @MShahzad077. Never change.pic.twitter.com/2wn3wkp6f6
— Barny Read (@BarnabyRead) March 25, 2018
Well, going by the video, it is not exactly like the one Dhoni plays but is pretty much familiar. Shahzad can be seen expanding his shape while he plays the shot and then poses for the photographers.
Afghanistan had a tournament to remember after losing their first three games, they managed to put up a great comeback to eventually beat West Indies in the title clash to win it. During the knock of 84 off 93 balls, Shahzad hit 11 fours and two sixes. In the same match, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan created history as he became the fastest bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s record.
