Wasim Akram screams ‘bullseye’ after Pakistan fielder hits umpire on the head; reserve official forced to step in

During the sixth over of the second innings, a throw from a fielder hit the umpire, Ruchira Palliyaguruge. Saim Ayub was the bowler, and Dhruv Parashar was facing him. The batter tapped the ball towards the third man region and ran for a single. The fielder collected the ball and threw it to the non-striker’s end. The throw went so wayward that it hit the back of the head of the match official.

Legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram was in the commentary box when the incident took place. The former Pakistan's ‘bullseye’ comment didn't sit well with some fans on the internet, who believed a better phrase could have been used to describe the incident.

“Straight on the head of the umpire, what a throw! Bullseye! One job of the fielder is not to hit the umpire…,” said Wasim Akram on commentary.

Saim Ayub immediately approached him to check if he was doing well, as Palliyagurge looked a bit dazed. The team physio of Pakistan rushed in to do the concussion check on him. The game was paused for a while as he got checked. Ultimately, he went off the field, and the reserve umpire, Gazi Sohel, replaced him as a substitute.

Pakistan show intent to qualify for the Super Four

Earlier in the game, Muhammad Waseem won the toss and decided to field first. Pakistan did not have a great start to their innings, as Saim Ayub departed in the first over for his third consecutive duck in the tournament. Sahibzada Farhan followed him soon, and they were struggling at 9/2 in the third over of the innings. After this, Salman Ali Agha and Fakhar Zaman stuck together in a partnership of 61 runs to stabilize the proceedings for the team.

Zaman scored a brilliant half-century, and Pakistan looked all settled to reach a 160-plus total. But the middle-order failed to deliver once more, and they suffered a collapse, losing four wickets for 23 runs. Shaheen Afridi stood up with the bat once more and scored 29 runs of 14 deliveries, helping his team reach a respectable total of 146/9 at the end of their 20 overs.

While defending the target, Salman Agha and his men came with a positive intent. While Shaheen Afridi cleaned up the opener Alishan Sharafu early, a brilliant catch by Mohammad Nawaz drew curtains over the innings of the skipper, Muhammad Waseem. Losing a couple of wickets early against the quality attack of Pakistan rocked them hard, and it was difficult for them to make a comeback in the match later.

Even though there was a partnership between Rahul Chopra and Dhruv Parashar, it was not enough to take them close to the target. Pakistan ran through the tail in a hurry and bundled out their opposition for 105 runs in the 18th over of the innings, grabbing a win by 41 runs and thus securing the spot in the super four.

With India and Pakistan both having reached the next round, the next assignment for the Men in Green will be against their arch-rivals. They will be looking to put on a better show against Suryakumar Yadav and his men, this time around, and turn the tables around for themselves.

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