Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi created a stir after criticizing the third umpire’s decision to give Fakhar Zaman out in the Asia Cup Super Four match against India at the Dubai International Stadium.
Fakhar was dismissed caught behind for 15, with the on-field umpires unsure if the ball had carried to Sanju Samson’s gloves.
After reviewing the replays, the third umpire ruled Zaman out, a call that sparked strong reactions from the Pakistan cricket fraternity. Afridi remarked on Samaa TV, “Unhone IPL mai bhi to umpiring karni hai” (He has to umpire in the IPL too), questioning the umpire’s performance.
Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar React
Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf, also on the panel, echoed Afridi’s concerns, claiming that not all angles were checked. He added, “Fakhar had hit three fours and played Bumrah well. His wicket was crucial for India.”
Veteran pacer Shoaib Akhtar accused the third umpire of bias, questioning why only two angles were reviewed despite 26 cameras being available, suggesting the outcome might have changed if Fakhar had stayed.
Post-Match Reactions and Result
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said he believed the ball had bounced before reaching Samson. Despite Sahibzada Farhan’s 56 helping Pakistan post 171-5, India dominated the contest, chasing down the target comfortably with Abhishek Sharma scoring 74 off 39 balls, sealing a six-wicket victory.
“I don’t know about the decision. It’s obviously the umpire’s job. Umpires can make mistakes. And I have no problem with that. But it does look like it bounced before it was carried to the keeper,” Salman said after India’s 6-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai.
“But I might be wrong. I don’t know. You can say the way he was batting, if he batted throughout the powerplay, we probably would have scored 190. But yeah, that’s the umpire’s call. And they can make mistakes. I don’t know. To me, it bounced before it reached the keeper,” he added.
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