Thread by @AMP86793444

The recently played Ind v Pak game was probably one of the most technically complex games. Especially the last over. Here I take you thro each of those balls Nawaz bowled in the last over and my own views on each ball.

#INDvsPAK2022 #T20WorldCup

Ball 1: Pandya wanted strike against Nawaz and he got it. I thought he would hit a couple of sixes and close the game. He did attempt a hoick and was caught by Babar.

Ball 2: DK comes in. Although the batsmen had crossed over the NEW RULES meant that it was DK who would be on strike and not VK. Disadvantage for batting side but they are already so advantaged in this format anyway. Gets a full toss, hits to long on for 1. Opportunity missed.

Ball 3: Another Yorker length delivery, Kohli manages to get two runs. DK puts in a desperate dive at non strikers end and survives. India in need of boundaries. Time running out.

Why is Rizwan standing so behind? Inexplicable.

Ball 4: This is where it starts to get complex. Kohli gets a full toss and gleefully swats it over for a six. And the leg umpire signals a noball and it’s a free hit! Having seen it multiple times, I have convinced myself it was a noball although debatable.

but the point most fans are raising is that the umpire didn’t call it immediately. VK appealed for a noball as soon as he hit it and he was within his rights to appeal for it. There is absolutely nothing wrong in it. Should the umpire have signalled straightaway, I don’t know.

He was looking at the ball and probably also was getting a mental picture of where Kohli met the ball. It was a big call and that’s why was taking that extra few seconds. Just my assumption. Babar and team objected and rightly so but to no avail.

Freehit ball: Under pressure Nawaz, poor guy, feel for him. He now bowls a wide on the off side. No controversies there. As Wide as any wide would be.

Free hit ball again: More drama. Kohli gets bowled. The ball ricochets off the stumps to third man. They run 3. So, to clarify the rules, on a free hit you can run even if you get bowled. Some people who didn’t know this rule tried to create a ruckus and were duly put in place.

This had recently happened in a WBBL game. Now the other aspect, should Kohli have run 2 and retained the strike? He was better placed to hit boundaries than DK who is very good against pace but not so against spin.

Ball 5: DK looks to sweep a fullish delivery. Misses it, the ball ricochets off him. Quickly gathered by Riz and stumped. Now then, Rizwan collected the ball infront of the wickets and broke the stumps. It was out for sure but was it stumped or run out?

https://twitter.com/amp86793444/status/1584496020720799744?s=46&t=p9bb4y_h7-DVJxtS6fW8yA

For stumping you should collect the ball behind the wickets otherwise it is not legal. Pant did this mistake in an IPL game. But in this case, ball had touched DK, so it was ok to collect it in front of the stumps.

So wise people on twitter have, rightly given a verdict, that it was stumping and not a run out. Why rob the bowler of a wicket! I have accepted that it’s now a stumping. Fair enough.

Ball 6: This is a piece of ingenuity, india fans will never forget. Nawaz sends one slightly on the leg side. Ice cool Ashwin takes a step towards offside and lets the ball go through. Wide it is! Probably the best leave by an Indian ever.

Ball 6 again: 1 needed off 1. 7 fielders inside circle. Full ball angling into stumps, Mr Cool Ash scoops it over long off and off they go. They complete a run.

https://twitter.com/amp86793444/status/1584491344537726976?s=46&t=p9bb4y_h7-DVJxtS6fW8yA

The ball goes to the boundary (although is never shown bcos everyone was too busy seeing the celebrations). Instead of Ash and India getting four, they get only one run bcos they had completed a single before the ball went to fence and by which time india had won the game.

So instead of india score being 163, it was 160. Not a big deal because the game was won. But if a narrow NRR comes into question at the end of the tournament this could be rued. It is very unlikely that this could be the case.

So, it was very dramatic and technically complex over. Everyone, including former players and experts, learnt a few new rules that day. 

These are just my views. Pictures taken from video recordings on Twitter.