Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has taken a hilarious dig at the umpiring standards in the ongoing Ashes series after a controversy erupted on Day 2 of the ongoing first Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Gabba on Thursday. England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes was denied a crucial wicket of David Warner, who was batting on 17 at that time as it was a no-ball.
Meanwhile, the on-field umpire asked for the third umpire’s help and it was revealed that Stokes had overstepped. It was also revealed that Stokes had overstepped each of the previous three deliveries as well, but none of them were called out. Host broadcaster Channel Seven later showed that in Stokes’ first five overs, he had delivered 14 no-balls with only two being called on-field.
Later, Cricket Australia confirmed that the front-foot technology had gone down before the match. This also meant that the game will be played under the previous playing conditions where only wicket-taking deliveries were checked.
The lifeline given to David Warner proved to be costly for the team as he went on to smash 94 runs helping his team reach 343/7, gaining a strong 196-run lead at the end of Day 2.
Meanwhile, several former and current cricketers came out and criticized the umpires. Among many, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar also took to Twitter and gave his opinion on the matter. In his Tweet, he took a sarcastic dig at the umpiring standards for missing as many as 14-no-ball deliveries. He wrote:
“As many as 14 no-balls missed by on-field umpire in 5 overs. Theek hai ji #Ashes”
Here, check out the Tweet:
As many as 14 no-balls missed by on-field umpire in 5 overs.
?
Theek hai ji #Ashes— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) December 9, 2021
Also Read: James Neesham Trolled Third Umpire After Ben Stokes’ No-Ball Controversy
