PAK vs NEP: R Ashwin Left Shocked By Mohammad Rizwan’s Bizarre Run Out – Pakistan found themselves in a bit of a pickle in the opening game of the Asia Cup 2023 against the underdogs and lowly-ranked Nepal team as they were 124/4 in the 28th over.
There were two run-outs in the wickets of those top 4. First, the opener Imam-ul-Haq went off for a risky single and was caught short about a foot from the non-striker’s end, despite his dive, from a direct hit from Nepal captain Rohit Paudel.
However, it was the second run-out wicket, that of senior batsman Mohammad Rizwan, that upset the Pakistani fans as Rizwan showed “complacency” and “laziness”. Having batted well for his 44 runs in 49 balls, and having settled his eye on the pitch to cash in later on, Mohammad Rizwan suffered a lapse of concentration and some superb fielding from Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee meant Rizwan’s lackadaisical attitude was punished with his dismissal.
R Ashwin analyses Mohammad Rizwan’s “bizarre” run-out vs Nepal
Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal was soon analyzed by senior India off-spinner R Ashwin, who is known to have one of the sharpest and most astute brains in the cricket world.
Rizwan had tapped a ball from spinner Lamichhane on the offside and set off for an easy single. Dipendra Singh Airee was present at cover position, took the ball, and even though Rizwan was set to be home in time, fired the throw at the non-striker’s end. Rizwan perhaps underestimated the arm of the fielder and still wasn’t in his crease.
When the ball came near him, Rizwan, instead of pushing his bat in the crease, jumped in the air to evade being hit by the throw. In that process, though, something which Rizwan wouldn’t have anticipated, the ball struck the stumps while Rizwan was still in the air. Replays confirmed this and Mohammad Rizwan was declared OUT.
R Ashwin took to Twitter (now X) soon after the incident and, with a snapshot of the airborne Rizwan, made a compelling case as to why he was baffled with Rizwan not wearing a helmet. Ashwin argued that had Rizwan been wearing a helmet, he would have dived to save himself from the run-out.
“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,” R Ashwin tweeted,
“He loves sweeping against spin and no helmet makes it even more bizarre.”
