Pakistan’s roller-coaster batting performance resulted in them setting a competitive target of 271 for South Africa at Chepauk. In response, the Proteas got off to a strong start, thanks to Quinton de Kock, who punished Shaheen Afridi with four boundaries in his first over.
However, Afridi had the last laugh by dismissing the in-form opener. Returning skipper Temba Bavuma maintained the positive momentum by consistently finding the fence, putting pressure on the Pakistani team to secure a wicket.
However, their eagerness to take a wicket appeared to overshadow their execution and almost led to a comical situation in the fifth over. In this incident, Mohammad Nawaz bowled a full-length delivery to Bavuma, who flicked it towards mid-on for a quick single.
Substitute fielder Salman Agha Ali displayed remarkable agility, quickly reaching the ball and cleanly collecting it while the batsmen scrambled to complete the run. Mohammad Rizwan, the wicketkeeper, recognized an opportunity to dismiss the Proteas and encouraged Salman to aim for the stumps with repeated shouts of “maar de, maar de” (hit it, hit it).
Amusingly, Salman followed Rizwan’s instructions by side-arming the ball with all his strength but missed the target by a considerable distance. Unfortunately, Nawaz, who was positioned a couple of feet away from the stumps, found himself in the line of fire and was struck painfully on the hand by the fast-traveling Kookaburra.
Rizwan – "Maar de, maar de"
— Vishnu Tiwari (@VishnuTiwa29296) October 27, 2023
Fielder hits Nawaz 😂 #Rizwan #EnglandCricket #ENGvSL #PAKvsSA #PakistanCricket #INDvsENG #BabarAzam #MSDhoni #IPL2024 #BabarAzamIsMyCaptian pic.twitter.com/e0gh7dlQOR
Rizwan, witnessing the sequence of events, threw his hands up in frustration, clearly annoyed. Meanwhile, on social media, Twitter users had a field day mocking the Men in Green for yet another humorous cricket mishap.