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The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday would go down as one for the ages.
The atmosphere that was created by more than 90 thousand people, the cricket that was played, and the thrilling end after a see-saw battle turned the match into a spectacle. There were many wow moments during the course of the 40 overs but there were a few instances also where either India or Pakistan fans were left hard done by. The Shan Masood catch opportunity went abegging because of the spider cam, leaving the Indian cricketers and fans disheartened. Many believed the third umpire’s call to give Axar Patel run out could have gone the other way but none was bigger that the no-ball call by on-field umpires in the last over of the match.
India needed 13 run off 3 balls when Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz bowled a full-toss to Virat Kohli, who despite of the height of the ball, managed to swat it over the square-leg fielder to get an all-important six for India. The drama, however, did not end there. Immediately after hitting the ball, Kohli turned towards the square-leg umpire, Marais Erasmus, asking for a no-ball for height. After a couple of seconds, Erasmus made up his mind and signalled to his colleague Rod Tucker that it was indeed above the waist of Kohli. A no-ball was signalled which gave India a free hit and brought the equation down to 6 runs off 3 balls. Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and a few others were seen running towards Tucker to protest against the call but the decision was made.
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Another jaw-dropping moment followed with the next ball. Kohli was bowled trying to slog-sweep Nawaz but as it was a free hit, Kohli not only survived but India ran three. In the end, they won the match in the last ball with four wickets to spare.
Reacting to the no-ball call, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said, Erasmus should have referred it to the third umpire instead of making the decision on his own.
“Jab se ye third umpire aya hai… Bohut sare run outs hai jaha pe on-field umpire bas signal kar dete hai third umpire k liye. Wo ek crucial situation tha, waha pe agar third umpire ko refer kar dete toh wo aapko bata dete but aapne fauran kar di no-ball ka ishara. Itni koi eagle eyes nahi hai aapki, third umpire ko refer kar sakte the. (There are many instances in the past when the umpires immediately signal for the third umpire for run-out appeals. That was a crucial stage of the match, it should have been referred to the third umpire, who could have been a better judge. You don’t have eagle eyes that you made a decision so quickly),” he said on Samaa TV.
Afridi was not the only former Pakistan unhappy with the no-ball call.. The likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar too seemed miffed with decision.
India will next face the Netherlands on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground while Pakistan will face Zimbabwe in Perth on the same day.
