PAK vs SL | Twitter laughs loud as Naseem channels inner footballer with sliding tackle-like dive on field

‌Pakistan recovered from a slow start to post a formidable 299/5 after being put into bat by Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Rawalpindi. The middle order duo of Salman Agha and Hussain Talat added 138 runs for the fifth wicket to take the home side back into the game.

Salman remained unbeaten on an 87-ball 105 while Talat scored 62 off 63 balls as they finished just short of the 300-run mark. Meanwhile, leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga was Sri Lanka’s best bowler on display with figures of 3/54.

The visitors came out with a positive frame of mind for the chase, with openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara adding 43 runs in the first five overs. The duo was also helped by some erratic bowling from the new ball duo of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who together bowled a whopping 18 wides between them.

Haris Rauf came to bowl the sixth over in place of an inconsistent Naseem and began well, conceding just one run in his first five balls. With the pacer spraying a fuller delivery onto Nissanka’s pads, the batter accepted the gift as he flicked to the right of Naseem, who was stationed at mid on.

What looked like another boundary was stopped with an out-of-the-box effort from the pacer. Just as the ball seemed to race past him, he put in a timely dive that resembled a sliding tackle in football to stop the Kookaburra.

He tapped the ball with his right toe on the dive before getting up to complete the throw, saving two runs for his side. Twitter was in splits as Naseem showed a big heart to stop the boundary despite having an off-colour start with the ball.