An incredible over: John Hastings' over didn't end in 18 balls, 12 wides!

An incredible over: John Hastings' over didn't end in 18 balls, 12 wides!

Sports Desk
Sports Desk

Published: 07:11 30 July 2025

Former Australian pacer John Hastings created an exceptional scene yesterday in the World Championship of Legends tournament. In a match against Pakistan, he bowled 18 balls in one over, of which 12 were wides and 1 no ball! He could not complete the over.

Hastings was out of rhythm from the start. Pakistan's target was only 75 runs. They had scored 55 runs in 7 overs, when Brett Lee gave the ball to Hastings. But instead of bringing the situation under control, he made it worse.

Five consecutive wides at the beginning of the over. Then two legal balls, one of which was a single and the other a four. Then came the infamous no ball, which was again a wide! After repeatedly missing the line, the last five balls also went as wides. Even the last wide ball was the winning run for Pakistan.

Batsman Shoaib Maqsood was frustrated the whole time. Despite preparing to play shots repeatedly, he could not reach the ball, because they were going far outside the bat. Opener Sharjeel Khan was also a silent spectator. The umpire also gasped, he had to extend both his hands 12 times to signal wide! In such a situation, Brett Leo also covered his face and hid his shame.

However, Pakistan's spinner Saeed Ajmal was brilliant even on such a nightmare day in Hastings. He took 6 wickets for just 16 runs, becoming the man of the match. Pakistan won by a huge margin of 10 wickets.

However, despite losing this match, Australia has reached the semi-finals of the tournament. In the next match, they will face South Africa, led by AB de Villiers.

This match proved that just as experience is important in cricket, a single over at the moment of comeback can change the whole story!

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