In a one-sided Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 game, there was confusion in between as Mohammad Rizwan took DRS without asking skipper Babar Azam. Interestingly, umpire Anil Chaudhary acknowledged the DRS call and sent it upstairs. Meanwhile, a surprised Babar was seen saying “I am the captain”.
The incident took place in the 16th over of Sri Lanka’s run chase of 122. Dasun Shanaka attempted an upper cut off Hasan Ali's short ball but missed. Ali and Rizwan appealed but the umpire said there was no edge. Rizwan opted for the review without consulting his captain. After the initial confusion even Babar agreed and used DRS.
However, the DRS timer would have been over by the time Babar took the call. Had the decision been reversed, it would have been a controversial one as the captain has only 15 seconds to make the DRS call.
The video of Babar’s funny reaction to the whole saga has been making rounds on the internet.
Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka by 5 wickets with three overs left in the innings. Babar top-scored for Pakistan with 30 runs from 29 deliveries. As Pakistan suffered a batting collapse, Mohammad Nawaz’s 26-run cameo helped them post a modest total of 121. Pakistan got all out with five balls remaining in the innings.
For Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga starred with the ball taking three wickets for 21 runs in his quota of four overs. In the run chase, Pathum Nissanka scored an unbeaten 48-ball 55. Also, he had support from skipper Shanaka (21) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (24) who contributed with timely cameos.
Meanwhile, Babar’s struggle has continued in Asia Cup 2022. He has scored just 63 runs from five innings. Pakistan batters have failed to live up to the expectations in the previous two games. First, they struggled to chase down 130 against Afghanistan and then barely got past the 120-run mark against the hosts.
