The spell that gave birth to the legend of Wasim, to a left-arm fast renaissance in cricket, and to the death of English white-ball cricket for several decades.

Few moments in cricket history are as indelible as Wasim's double-wicket death strike in the final of the World Cup. We break down the spell, the legacy of Wasim's impact, and who he was before this spell changed his life, as well as ours.

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"Pakistan cricket at its best - one minute down, next minute up!"

The return of the prodigal son, playing in the country where he was jailed, in an ICC final vs the eternal rivals - Mohammad Amir's tournament-winning spell in the 2017 Champion's Trophy felt like the long awaited return of the teenager caught in cricket's worst fixing scandal of the 21st century. But was it really that, and what did Amir's career mean before and after this spell? And what about all those dropped catches? We break down one of the most fascinating personalities and spells in Pakistan cricket history. Oh, and Nasser Hussain has a cameo talking about his iconic commentary for Virat Kohli's wicket!

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Has there ever been an enigma quite like Mohammad Asif? Even in the colourful history of Pakistan cricket, no one has quite combined both the highs and lows quite like Asif did. In a brief career punctuated by all sorts of scandals, Asif  managed to mesmerise a fandom obsessed with pace by removing it from the equation. A cricketer who bowled like he was playing music, Asif's most famous spell wasn't the best example of his  longform artistry. Yet in compiling a series of video game deliveries against one of cricket's most storied batting lineups,  it was the sort of performance that meant he was never forgotten.

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If you're a cricketer who shares the same last name as one of the country's biggest ever stars, how do you stand out of his shadow? How about a stunning opening spell that led Pakistan's men's team to its first ever victory over India in a World Cup match?

Shaheen Shah Afridi was already a star when the 2021 T20 World Cup rolled around, but this spell took him to another level, the second episode in Batta Fast's discussion on favourite Pakistani pace spells.

We take a look at the historic status of Shaheen's spell, the changing nature of Pashtuns in Pakistani society and cricket, and potentially eclipsing the fame of his very famous father-in-law.

2:50 – 3:38 – Aao Shaheen Afridi ki nazar utaaro 

6:43 – 9:00 – NostraOsmanus for Shaheen prediction

9:30 – 11:44 – And now it’s time for Ahmer’s WTF analogy, featuring the GoW opening

15:58 – 16:20 – Where we slander Bazid Khan

19:30 – 21:49 – And now it’s time for Ahmer’s WTF analogy II, featuring M Night Shyamalan

23:22 – 25:20 Hasan Cheema ki nazar bhi and Kylian Mbappe

33:20 – 36:24- Getting heavy on the Pashtun identity

56:40 – 58:40   If Shaheen went to Karachi Kings or Islamabad United

1:05:40 – 1:07:30 Shaheen and his Alpha transformation

1:09:29 – 1:10:20 Shaheen wins shaadi season

1:11:05 – 1:11:50 – I have Trump hair

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The first episode of our podcast kicks off a series where we discuss our favourite fast bowling spells by Pakistani players.

We begin with the birth of a legend - Shoaib Akhtar's two wickets in two balls, including Sachin on a golden duck, began one of the most exciting, intriguing and dramatic careers in cricket history.

We go from Bappi Lahiri to Salman Khan in trying to explain what and who Shaiby was.

0 – 2:20 – Intro to the podcast
2:45 – 3:40 – The spell as the Pakistani Dream: bowling two Indians, one of whom is Sachin in front of a full house off two consecutive balls
3:40 – 5:55 – Silence in the Biggest Stadium in the World & some more on the dreamlike nature of Shoaib impact
7:32 – 10:15 Maradona 1986 vs England comparison
13:00 – 14:30 - The Two Deliveries as works of art 
20:20 – 22:17 - The Sallu Bhai comparisons
25:25 – 27:55 - The Faisalabad Story
28:25 – 33:40 - Gun Master Interlude – Bappi Da! Including the Jimmy Jimmy tangent
 38:00 – 39:39 - Why Dravid was the greater wicket (and Shaibi bowling genius)
41:45 – 43:53 Shaibi Origin Story and being an outlier as a worldly star
43:59 – 45:10 Shaibi Saves a Child and Hello Nicole Kidman 
45:11 – 47:00 The Groundedness of being Shoaib all the way through 
47:10 – 49:20  On a White Horse in the Margalla Hills, with a Quran
49:20 – 50:50  Navigating a way through match-fixing era
52:55 – 53:33 The Mathew Hayden send-off
53:45 – 59:05 The Sachin Ball and the Art of Bunking School
59:20 – end Loving Sachin Ball contd

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