Shoaib Akhtar cries foul over umpire's call during Ind vs Pak game; netizens share proof

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the umpires for their on-field decision during Sunday's high-octane encounter between India and Pakistan at the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. India defeated Pakistan by 4 wickets to win the nail-biting thriller that went down to the final ball of the last innings. Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock of 82 runs to help India emerge victorious in the game. 

However, an incident in the final over of the match led to Pakistan cricketers and fans kickstarting an imaginary debate on social media as they questioned the decision made by the umpires. When India needed 13 off the last 3 balls, Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz bowled a high full toss above waist height to Kohli, who smashed it over the deep square leg boundary for a six. Kohli immediately protested after hitting the six, asking the umpires to give it a no-ball. 

The on-field umpires eventually called it a no-ball, leaving Pakistan players in shock. After the match, Akhtar took to his official Twitter handle to question the on-field umpires for their decision. He seemed unhappy with the decision and posted an obscure tweet. “Umpire bhaiyo, food for thought aaj raat ke liye,” Akhtar wrote in his post. While Akhtar ignored the laws of the game, netizens shared evidence to prove that the delivery was indeed a no-ball. 

India vs Pakistan

As far as the match is concerned, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Batting first, Pakistan lost a couple of early wickets in the form of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Arshdeep Singh bowled beautifully to pick the wickets of Pakistan's openers. Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmad then forged a crucial partnership to help Pakistan reach a respectable total of 159/8 in 20 overs. 

Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya were the picks of the bowlers from the Indian side as they registered a three-wicket haul each. Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also scalped a wicket each to their names. 

In the second innings, Pakistan's Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf struck early to put India under pressure. India were reeling at 31-4 at one stage in the game. However, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya then forged a much-needed partnership to rescue India from a turbulent start. The duo scored 113 off 78 balls between them before Hardik was dismissed for 40 off 37 balls. Kohli remained unbeaten at 82 off 53 balls to help India finish the chase. He was named the player of the match for his outstanding knock. 

Image: PTI/Twitter