Hardus Viljoen, the player of the tournament in the T10 League, said he had finally settled a score with Shahid Afridi after helping Northern Warriors beat Pakhtoons in the final.
The South African fast bowler took 18 wickets in 18 overs across the course of the 10-overs league.
None of them was met with quite such a show of raw emotion as after he bowled Afridi in the final at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.
Afridi was Pakhtoons’ last realistic hope if they were going to chase down 141 to win the final. When he went, the Warriors were as good as champions.
As the ball clattered in to his off stump, Viljoen let out a loud roar, which got Afridi's attention to the extent he walked towards the bowler first, before heading towards the dressing room.
“Me and Afridi have had a few battles and he has always come out on top,” Viljoen said of the incident.
“I played him in a [quarter]-final in England where he smashed a hundred off 40 balls. Then in the knockout game [in the T10 League on Saturday], he also came off.
“I went to bed last night thinking: ‘Please, just let me get him once.’ Fortunately, tonight was my night, but hopefully there will be many more battles like that.
“It helps the viewers feel part of the competition, because they want to see the best batters in the world be competitive with great bowlers that can put them under pressure. That is the nature of this game.”
After beating Pakhtoons by 22 runs in the final, the Warriors became the second side to have their named written on the T10 trophy, after Kerala Kings won the inaugural title last year.
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