VIDEO | Shaheen Afridi’s unplayable bouncer sends dejected Ollie Pope packing

Much of England’s hope in this game was on Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler’s shoulders after the hosts’ very own miracle man Ben Stokes was dismissed for a mere 9 runs. Pope, for what he did in the first innings, had the game to take the side home, but no situation is irreversible for a Pakistani pace bowler, a spirit borne out of an inherent belief that challenges the very notion of momentum. In Manchester today, Shaheen Afridi’s Jazbaa spoke loud, cutting across the Emirates Old Trafford like rock music.

On the penultimate delivery of the 45th over, Afridi bowled a back of length delivery to Pope which explored from a length. It almost made the English No.5 uncomfortable who tried to fend it off but before he could realise anything the ball had already kicked up and ballooned off the top glove towards the slip cordon where Shadab Khan was stationed.

The audacity of the delivery left everyone in a wow mode and as soon as Shadab Khan gobbled that up, Pope was stunned, thinking of his own luck and also appreciating the genius of that very delivery. He had worn a forlorn look, so much so that everything seemed to have come crashing down but there was hardly anything one could do about it.