The leadership of Babar Azam propelled the Pakistan cricket team into action today, initiating their campaign against Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan. Opting to bat first on a favorable surface, the Green Shirts faced early setbacks with the fall of the opening duo, Fakhar Zaman (scoring 14) and Imam-ul-Haq (scoring 5), both succumbing to modest scores.
This initial struggle left Pakistan grappling to establish a solid foundation at the start. Fakhar’s dismissal resulted from a delivery by Karan, while Imam-ul-Haq was run out due to a fielding effort by Rohit Paudel. Just as Nepal’s bowlers sought to restrain the opposition batsmen, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam exhibited remarkable resilience, forming an 86-run partnership.
This partnership, however, was broken when Rizwan, who had reached 44 with six fours, fell victim to an unusual run-out. The unfolding drama centered around Rizwan’s decision to take a single after nudging the ball towards cover-point, aiming to regain the strike for his captain. In an attempt to avoid getting hit by the ball coming towards him, he refrained from grounding his bat initially.
This misjudgment proved costly, as he was well short of the crease when the bails were dislodged. Given the context of the game, Rizwan was visibly disappointed with his dismissal, ruing his failure to drag his bat to the crease.
Lamichhane to Rizwan, out Rizwan Run Out!!
— MrDeepak (@X_MrDeepak) August 30, 2023
There's a direct hit at the bowler's end.
Rizwan run out (Dipendra Singh) 44(50) [4s-6]#PAKvsNEP #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/UdUi0CJtMe
Interestingly, Ravichandran Ashwin, the seasoned off-spinner from India, weighed in on the dismissal through his official social media handle (formerly known as Twitter). Ashwin, an avid follower of the tournament, provided a detailed explanation of Rizwan’s unusual mode of dismissal. He emphasized that the run-out took on a more peculiar aspect due to Rizwan’s decision not to wear a helmet.
The height of the throw made it harder to evade for Rizwan but for someone who generally dives to make his ground all the time while running between the wickets, this is a rare instance of him ducking for cover and the only reason is that he isn’t wearing his helmet.
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 30, 2023
He loves… pic.twitter.com/asBSX6rf9n
