Former Pakistan cricketer takes a dig at Babar Azam over free hit confusion
India and Pakistan were engaged in a nail-biting match in Melbourne in the 20-20 World Cup 2022. The contest got a winner only on the final ball of the match. The match kept ebbing and flowing from one side to the other but in the end, the Men in Blue emerged victorious by 4 wickets.
The contest had its fair share of drama, especially in the final over. 16 runs were required off it. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya were at the crease, and Pakistan as they only had five bowling options, had to rely on Mohammad Nawaz to bowl the final over.
Nawaz started the over well by getting Hardik Pandya out before Kohli smashed a maximum in the fourth delivery of the over, which was called a no-ball as the height was above the waist. The ball after that was a free hit. Kohli was bowled but the ball ricocheted off the stumps, which allowed India to run three. The ball went in the gap between the gully fielder and the wicketkeeper.
When this happened, Babar and his teammates were frustrated over what transpired as they went to the umpire to clarify why India was awarded three runs off that ball. The umpire signalled three byes which led to several fans and players raising questions pertaining to the rule.
The players should take classes – Salman Butt
However, Salman Butt had a different take on the issue, he talked about the incident on his youtube channel but did not question the decision. Instead, he slammed the Pakistan players for not being aware of the laws of the game.
“Pakistani players need to have a better understanding of the laws. We have umpires like Aleem Dar and Hasan Raza along with other officials who can help the team with that.
“The players should take these classes and clear their doubts by asking questions. Because while these scenarios are rare, they can occur anytime in pressure situations,” said Butt in the video.
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