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  • Real Or Ai Watch Babar Azam Shaheen Afridi Combine For Jaw Dropping Relay Catch 6986E098bc4e0baeebc3b6f6

Real or AI? Watch- Babar Azam Shaheen Afridi combine for jaw-dropping relay catch

Soumyajit Dutta

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi takes a combined catch [Source: X]Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi takes a combined catch [Source: X]

With the exciting ICC T20 World Cup 2026 underway, Pakistan started showing their colours against the Netherlands after Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi combined to pull off a stunning relay catch. The effort set the tone as Pakistan played their first clash of the tournament.

As Pakistan chose to bowl against the Netherlands on February 7, 2026, at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, the Men in Green started strong with the quick wicket of Max O'Dowd in the 3.1 over. Following the first breakthrough, Michael Levitt departed in the next over to a delivery from Mohammad Nawaz.

How Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi paired to grab a stunner

It was a stunning effort from both Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. On the second ball of the fifth over during the powerplay, Mohammad Nawaz bowled a fuller delivery on the stumps.

As Michael Levitt looked to accelerate the run rate, he got down on one knee and attempted a slog with a horizontal bat. However, Levitt mistimed the shot and failed to pick the length of the ball.

The miscue off the toe end of the bat sent the ball high towards the boundary. Babar Azam, stationed near long off, ran to his right towards the boundary rope and leapt into the air. Aware of the rope, he smartly threw the ball back inside the field before crossing over.

crictalk
@crictalk7
Feb 7, 2026, 11:25 AM

Shaheen Afridi, who was backing up the play, completed the catch cleanly inside the boundary. The TV umpire later confirmed the dismissal. With that, both Dutch openers were back in the pavilion, as Levitt departed after scoring 24 runs off 15 deliveries.

Is the relay catch legal as per ICC laws?

As per updated ICC rules, a relay catch is valid as long as the fielder who first touches the ball releases it before stepping outside the boundary, and the final fielder completes the catch within the field of play.

In this case, it was a well-coordinated effort, where Babar Azam pushed the ball back inside the rope and Shaheen Afridi, who was already inside the boundary, completed the catch. Hence, as per the laws, it was a legal dismissal.

Nevertheless, the match had its goosebump moments following the combined effort. However, Levitt did not depart before making a useful contribution.

The Pakistan vs Netherlands match so far

His 15-ball 24 at a strike rate of 160 helped the Netherlands push past the 100-run mark after 12 overs. Colin Ackermann also chipped in with a 14-ball 20, while skipper Scott Edwards continued to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Bas de Leede added a 25-ball 30, helping the Netherlands eye a 160-plus total. From the bowling front, Pakistan had Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed leading the attack.

Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam and Usman Khan are set to take on the chase in Pakistan’s opening clash as they look to register a statement win.