India beat Pakistan in one of the most thrilling encounters at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. But it was a no-ball that gave Pakistan fans an excuse and they wasted no time in thrashing the umpires and accusing them of ‘cheating.’ Some of the former cricketers also used it to the full to gain social media traction on their YouTube channels. This included former speedster Shoaib Akhtar who by the night of the match had slammed the umpires on Twitter.
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Now, his former colleague Shahid Afridi also came after the men in hats. He opined that they should have referred the decision to third umpires instead calling it a no ball straightaway.
It all began when Virat Kohli slammed Mohammad Nawaz off a chest-high full toss for six with India needing 13 off 3 balls. This was called a no ball after Kohli also insisted about the same to the on-field umpires. Both the umpires consulted each other and then called it a no ball where Pakistan skipper Babar Azam got miffed. Some of the Pakistan fans believed that they should have gone for the third umpire before reaching a conclusion.
“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.
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It was followed by a wide which extended the free-hit ball. In the next ball, Nawaz succeeded in bowling Kohli out, but since it was a free hit, the former India captain was safe.
Virat along with Dinesh Karthik, ran three byes as the ball trickled down towards third-man. But controversy ensued after the Pakistan players including captain Babar had a discussion with the umpire on whether the runs should be awarded to the Indian team. Eventually, on-field umpires gave the runs in India’s favour.
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