Watch | Noor Ahmed's triple strike sinks Antigua to fourth straight loss

Debayan Sinha
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Afghanistan has emerged as one of the top cricketing nations in recent years, producing exceptional players. This was evident in a recent CPL match between Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and Saint Lucia Kings, where Noor Ahmad's brilliant spin bowling dismantled the Antigua middle order.

‌Faf du Plessis' decision to bowl first initially seemed to backfire for the Kings as Fakhar Zaman and Justin Greaves propelled Antigua to 30/0 in the first four overs. However, the departure of the Pakistani opener during the powerplay shook up Antigua's batting lineup. The situation worsened with the wickets of Kofi James and Greaves, putting the team under pressure. The trouble deepened when Noor Ahmad was reintroduced to the attack in the 14th over by skipper du Plessis. 

On the third ball of that over, Noor delivered a brilliant googly that tempted the in-form batter Jewel Andrew into attempting a big shot. However, Andrew misjudged the delivery, sending the ball high into the air without enough distance, leading to an easy catch at long-on. The 19-year-old continued his spin magic in the 17th over, removing Sam Billings with a straight delivery that bounced unexpectedly. Billings tried to reverse sweep but missed completely, losing his balance. Meanwhile, the ball hit the King's wicket-keeper Tim  Siefert’s chest before he could glove the white rock and amidst the drama, Billings failed to keep in bat into the crease. This allowed Siefert to dislodge the bails just before the English star aimed to sneak into the crease. 

On the next delivery, Noor bowled a similar ball to Fabian Allen, who attempted a slog but failed to make contact, resulting in the ball crashing into the stumps and handing the Caribbean cricketer a golden duck.

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