VIDEO | Commentators left surprised as Ahmed Shehzad asks for review after dropping an easy catch

04/05/2019

Apart from the sheer mercurial cricket, the entertainment value Pakistani cricketers bring to the table also makes them meme favourites. Ahmed Shehzad was at the receiving end of many backlashes after he asked for a review despite clearly dropping the catch at deep mid-wicket region.

Pakistan ODI Cup’s quality as a tournament is subject to many critics in the last one decade and despite all the talk of improving the home base, their domestic tournament has never been able to capture the eyeballs. However, all it took a simple catch drop to bring the tournament back to the public discussion, albeit for the wrong reasons.

In the match between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal Areas in the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Pakhtunkhwa needed only three runs from four deliveries, and Khushdil Shah had a chance to finish the game off in style. He attempted a leg-side hoick towards mid-wicket in an attempt to clear the boundary, but it wasn’t properly connected and was almost taken by Ahmed Shehzad.

However, the former Pakistani top-order batsman was not attentive enough and in a bid to take the catch, he made a mess of it, and the ball slowly deflected back from his hand and touched the surface. It was a clear drop, but to save himself from ignominy, the 27-year-old instantly collected the ball on the bounce and signalled to the on-field umpires to get it checked by the TV official.

It was funny to watch as when the third umpire came up with the verdict, Shehzad had an expression of half acceptance as if he didn’t know about the drop then. The best reaction, however, came from the commentators who were in disbelief after seeing the Pakistani going for the review.