The thrilling encounter between India and Pakistan witnessed a moment of controversy in the final over when Mohammad Nawaz’s high full-toss was dispatched for a six over square leg by Virat Kohli. After Kohli protested that it should be called a no ball for being above waist, the umpires made a late decision to call it a No ball. The Pakistani fielders, led by Babar Azam, protested but the decision was retained.
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Former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Malik have said that the decision should have been referred to the third umpire.
“The ball seemed to dip but its kind of touch and go. To the naked eye, it did not seem like a no-ball but in slow-motion, it does seem like it dipped … Any batsman will turn and ask for no ball. That’s not his [Kohli]s] fault. Such a big game. You have technology. Use it. Why flare up things unnecessarily?” Wasim Akram said on A Sports.
Akram would say that if either he or Waqar Younis were on the commentary panel, they would have raised the issue.
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“Because we weren’t there. If me or Waqar were there, we would have spoken our mind there and then.”
Akram’s teammate from the yesteryears, Waqar Younis had an interesting take. “When the ball is about waist-high, the square-leg umpire’s first reaction is that he takes his hand out, extends his right hand. That’s his natural reaction. But if you look at the replays, he (Marius Erasmus) turns around to see the ball. Then after Virat Kohli asked for it …
I am not saying and I don’t want to say it’s a no ball or not. I don’t want to get into that controversy. But the umpire (Marius Erasmus the square-leg umpire) should have called it there and then. It was Virat Kohli’s right to ask for the no-ball and he should do it. The leg umpire should have consulted the main umpire and they should have gone upstairs. That’s why the third umpire is sitting there. It should have been left to him – he could call it no-ball, six whatever…
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Former captain Shoaib Malik too agreed with Wasim and Waqar that they should have gone to third umpire. “When you have an option, you should take the help from the third umpire, especially in such a big match at a crunch situation. Anyone can make a mistake but they should have consulted the third umpire. If the decision was taken after the replays which we saw it would have been better,” Malik said.
Another former captain Moin Khan felt that it was a no ball but a decision should have been taken by the third umpire.
“Replay show it was certainly a no ball but these decisions, the umpire should check with the third umpire. The mistake here is that they didn’t take help from third umpire,” Moin Khan told Geo Super
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Umpire bhaiyo, food for thought aaj raat k liye 😉 pic.twitter.com/vafnDG0EVd
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— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 23, 2022
There was another issue when the ball hit the stumps in the free hit after that no ball and the Indians ran three runs. There were some murmurs about it on social media after Pakistanis complained to the umpires; it was said whether it should have been given as a dead ball.
Wasim Akram explained that if the batsman got an inside-edge on to the stumps on a free hit, he can run and the runs will be attributed to him. “If there is no edge and the ball hits the stumps, they can run and it will go down as extras. And that’s why the umpire signalled it as a bye”.
