Published 16:34 IST, May 30th 2020
Ex-Pakistan player accuses MS Dhoni of 'purposely' losing 2019 WC match against England
Former Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq claimed that Dhoni could have hit a six or four but he was 'blocking everything' in the 2019 WC match against England
Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has joined Sikander Bakht to accuse India's wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni of 'purposely' not winning the group stage match against England in the 2019 ICC World Cup. The former Pakistani all-rounder has claimed that Dhoni could have hit a six or a four, but he was 'blocking everything.' Earlier, England's ace all-rounder Ben Stokes while recollecting the match in his book, claimed that he saw 'no intent' from MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav to win the match.
Speaking to a Pakistani news channel, Razaaq stated that there is no doubt that MS Dhoni lost the match purposely and we had said this at that time as well, adding that all cricketers also have the same opinion. Razzaq claimed that one gets to know when a person who is capable of hitting sixes and fours at will, is blocking everything. Notably, India's only loss in the group stage that came against England resulted in Pakistan's knock-out from the 2019 World Cup campaign.
Holding backs Dhoni
Former West Indies cricketer and commentator Michael Holding recently came forth to back the former Indian skipper after the fire ignited by Stokes' book. “It wasn’t the game that India had to win, but I don’t think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren’t putting up their 100%, but I realized it wasn’t the case when the expression on MS Dhoni’s face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I don’t think it was a team decision to not try to win," said Michael Holding on his official Youtube channel ‘Mikey – holding nothing back’.
India vs England 2019 WC match
England won the toss and decided to bat first. The home side stockpiled 337-7 on the board with Ben Stokes fury-filled 79 off 54 providing the finishing touches. The Indian batsman began their run-chase on a dawdling note, scoring just 28 of their first 10 overs. Rohit Sharma (102) and Virat Kohli (66) top-scored in the Indian innings followed by Hardik Pandya with a stroke-filled 45 off 33 balls.
At 267-5 after 44.5 overs, Kedar Jadhav joined forces with former India skipper MS Dhoni. While India required 71 runs from 5.1 overs, the two managed to score 39 runs from their 31-ball partnership. While Dhoni played a knock of 42 runs from 31 balls, Jadhav consumed 13 balls to finish at 12* as India fell short of their target by 31 runs.
Updated 16:34 IST, May 30th 2020