By Mohsin Ali
Cricket-enthusiasts are very much disappointed following the defeat of Pakistan against South Africa although the Men in Green tried their level best to outshine the Proteas.
The poor umpiring has also attracted criticism from the cricket experts and former players who stressed the need of changing the rules which are damaging the spirit of the cricket.
The veteran Indian player and exceptional spinner, Harbhajan Singh also raised questions over the umpiring performance and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and mentioned, “Bad umpiring and bad rules cost Pakistan this game.. @ICC should change this rule .. if the ball is hitting the stump that’s out whether the umpire gave out or not out doesn’t matter.. otherwise what is the use of technology???.”
Harbhajan Singh said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should review and change its rules. He said if the ball hits the stamp and the umpire has not declared it out, it should be given out. If such rules remain, what about the use of technology, Singh questioned.
Babar Azam take on the match
After losing the match, the Pakistan team skipper, Babar Azam, talked to the media and said that they are very much disappointed following the downfall against South Africa. We have missed a good chance to win and ensure our journey to the semi-finals, he added.
He said the Pakistan team had demonstrated exceptional performance, our players had fought well but our score was ten to 15 runs low in the batting. He said the low score had led to our debacle.
The skipper said that a bevy of quicks had exhibited their exceptional skills and fought in a great way, however, we could not get the desired results from the match. Babar Azam preferred to remain tight-lipped when asked about the DRS– Decision Review System, formerly known as the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS)—and only said he could not say anything on it as it was part of the game and the Empire’s call.
We could keep our position intact in the tournament by trouncing South Africa, Babar Azam said adding despite strenuous efforts we could not ensure it and lost the match. After three remaining matches let’s hope for the best and wait where Pakistan will go to stand in this tournament, he added.
What Mickey Arthur says
The Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur was not happy with the batting line citing they could not perform well in the match. During a press briefing after the game, the Pakistani director lavished praise on the bowling department and said it was superlative bowling of ICC World Cup 2023. I feel proud of the way Pakistan bowling line has performed and worked very hard to grip the match.
He said they struggled a lot to fight back but to no avail although everyone tried his level best. However, he said the batting line is not contributing and the batters are still not coming into form. Our bowling was excellent but we could not bat well in the match, he admitted.
Mickey Arthur said a quality cricket is demanded in the ICC World Cup 2023 tournament, unfortunately, we have failed so far to respond following the condition. We could not show performance in a match against Afghanistan and performed average play in all formats—bowling, batting and fielding.
The national team director Mickey Arthur was not ready to accept that skipper Babar Azam and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq are responsible for the current situation, citing the team could not play well in the tournament. It will not be good to blame anyone as every player and even staff tried their level best to perform in a good way, he added.
We will try to secure victory in the remaining matches so that we can finish the event efficiently, he expressed hope.
Naseer Ahmed, a cricket-lover, said we had enjoyed a good match between two power-houses of cricket—Pakistan and South Africa—and both sides had left no stone unturned for the triumph. He said South Africa was being dubbed as the free-scorer in this ICC World Cup 2023 tournament, however the Pakistani bevy of quicks had made it difficult for them to exhibit the magic of their bat.
He said we want a final between India and Pakistan but it seemed that this time Pakistan could not make their way even to the semi-finals. Ahmed also questioned the quality of umpiring and said even after employing the modern technology the controversial decisions were made in this mega event.
The International Cricket Council should review the entire matches where controversial decisions were made and go for their review to make the cricket more secure and flawless.
