Pakistan’s cricket team has fired off a formal complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over a controversial caught-behind decision involving opener Fakhar Zaman during their Asia Cup Super Four clash against India in Dubai on Sunday.
The drama unfolded when Sri Lankan umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge ruled Zaman out for 15, caught behind by Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. On-field umpire Gazi Sohel wasn’t convinced at first and sent it upstairs to the TV umpire. But the replay left fans scratching their heads—one angle suggested the ball bounced before settling in Samson’s gloves. Still, the TV umpire decided Samson’s fingers were firmly underneath, calling it a clean catch.
Zaman clearly disagreed. He paused on the pitch, looking frustrated, before heading back to the pavilion. After the match, Pakistan’s team manager Naveed Cheema approached match referee Andy Pycroft to vent, but Pycroft said it wasn’t his call to make. So, Cheema took it further by emailing the ICC directly to challenge the TV umpire’s ruling.
Captain Salman Ali Agha didn’t hold back either when asked about the Fakhar Zaman dismissal. “I don’t know about the decision—it’s the umpire’s job, and they can make mistakes. No problem with that,” he said. But he added, “It does look like it bounced before reaching the keeper. If he’d batted through the powerplay, we might’ve hit 190. That’s cricket for you.”
This latest spat adds fuel to the already tense India-Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup. Tensions boiled over with no post-match handshakes from the Indian players in both games. Pakistan had even demanded Pycroft’s removal after a similar no-handshake issue in their first meeting, showing just how high emotions run in these high-stakes encounters.
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