PAK vs SA | Twitter in splits at Ahsan Raza’s heart-in-mouth moment before stumps save him from embarrassment

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

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Umpires have a thankless job in cricket, as they are expected to be on the money all the time amid the risk of getting hit. Ahsan Raza nearly suffered a blow in the second ODI between Pakistan and South Africa in Faisalabad before the wickets rescued him from getting hit off a full-blooded drive.

Ahsan Raza

‌Pakistan were in deep trouble after opting to bat against South Africa in the second ODI at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday. Nandre Burger ran through the home side’s top order to reduce them to 22/3 inside five overs.

The left-arm pacer dismissed Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan, the latter two in the same over, to put them on the back foot pretty early in the game. However, Saim Ayub and Salman Agha scored contrasting half-centuries as their 92-run partnership for the fourth wicket helped the hosts recover.

With Mohammad Nawaz also playing a vital knock down the order, the Men in Green were placed at 237/8 after 48 overs and well on course to go past the 250-run mark. Mohammad Wasim, who walked in in the previous over, tried to use the long handle in a bid to end the innings on a high.

And with pacer Corbin Bosch going for the blockhole, Wasim went deep in his crease and pulled off a full-blooded drive that went straight back. For a moment, umpire Ahsan Raza feared for his life as he reacted frighteningly to the fast-approaching Kookaburra.

He was fortunate as the ball hit the stumps before racing to the boundary ropes with replays catching his fear-invoking expression in detail amid the flying bail. The fact that the white rock flew to the boundary despite hitting the stumps told a lot about how powerful it was hit.

Ahsan Raza breathed a sigh of relief, still not believing his luck as he nodded his head after seeing it again on he giant screen. Twitter, however, was in splits as the umpire was stuck while trying to take evasive action, but luckily escaped without any harm.

 Lol!

Chase On

Late Collapse

Pak Fightback

Pace Time

Even Battle

What a shot!

Brilliant!

Tail Magic

Yes!

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