T20 World Cup 2022: Temba Bavuma-led South Africa has been the team to beat so far in the proceeding T20 World Cup. The prominent side occupies the first position in the Group 2 points tally and is yet to face a defeat. The Proteas are currently squaring off against the star-studded team of Pakistan in a high-octane encounter that is occurring at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
“We would have batted first, looks a bit dry wicket, but there is some green. Batting first is an advantage, but we need to keep them down to a low score and then chase well. We have a great bunch of guys and have derived a lot of support and confidence from them.” said South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma at the toss.
Winning the toss, batting first, Babar Azam-led Pakistan got off to the worst start possible. The team lost as many as four premier wickets inside the powerplay, however, the likes of Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan ensured a remarkable recovery. Pakistan posted a massive total of 185 for the loss of nine wickets in relatively challenging batting conditions.
Frustrated Iftikhar appeals to the umpire for a wide:
Meanwhile, A video of Iftikhar Ahmed comically appealing to the on-field umpire for a wide is doing rounds on social media. In the video, The Pakistan middle-order batter looked frustrated after the on-field umpire Chris Gaffaney did not signal a wide on a delivery that passed away from his pads from the leg side. Quinton De Kock, who was the wicketkeeping had a big laugh on his face during the whole incident.
Allegedly, The replay later confirmed that the ball bruised his pads while passing and the umpire made a correct call by not signaling a wide. Iftikhar later faced some backlash on social media. The incident has become a point of discussion on Twitter, with many people comparing it with the Virat Kohli-umpire episode from India’s last encounter against Bangladesh.
Here’s the video of the full incident:
#SAvsPAK : #IftikharAhmed , #QuintondeKock left shocked after umpire does not Signal A Wide !! pic.twitter.com/67NhalXOjt
— Ankush Chauhan (@AnkushC35642587) November 3, 2022
Iftikhar Ahmed remained the pick of the batters for the national side in the all-important South Africa game. He hammered crucial 51 runs off just 35 deliveries following a terrible batting collapse of Pakistan upfront. The quality knock featured three fours and two gigantic maximums
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