Sanju Samson Equals Shahid Afridi’s 17-Year-Old Record in T20 World Cup Final

Islamabad, Daily Qudrat – Indian opener and wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has matched former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi’s 17-year-old record in the ICC T20 World Cup final.

In the final played at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, India set a record target of 256 runs for New Zealand, largely thanks to Samson’s spectacular innings. He scored 89 runs off 46 balls, including 8 sixes and 5 fours, marking his third consecutive half-century in this World Cup. Earlier, he scored fifties against West Indies in a crucial Super 8 match and against England in the semi-final.

With today’s half-century, Samson became only the third player in men’s T20 World Cup history to score fifties in both the semi-final and final of the same tournament, joining Shahid Afridi (2009) and Virat Kohli (2014).

In addition, Samson set another world record by becoming the highest scorer in a T20 World Cup final with his 89-run innings. He surpassed the previous records of West Indies’ Marlon Samuels, who scored 85 against England in 2016, and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who scored 85 against Australia in 2021.