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In a much-anticipated showdown, the Asia Cup 2023 commenced with Pakistan facing off against newcomers Nepal on Wednesday. It was a gripping encounter right from the start as Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bat first. This fixture carried immense significance for both teams, especially considering they were placed in Group A alongside cricket giants India. With only the top two teams advancing to the Super 4 stage, the pressure was on from the very beginning.
However, for the Men in Green, the opening of their innings got off to a less-than-ideal start. Within the first seven overs, both of their opening batters were back in the pavilion. Fakhar Zaman‘s dismissal was the result of a brilliant effort by Karan KC, while Nepal‘s captain, Rohit Paudel, exhibited his skills with a remarkable direct hit from mid-off to dismiss Imam-ul-Haq. Imam’s departure left Pakistan reeling at a score of 25-2 in just the seventh over.
Also READ: Asia Cup makes a glorious return to Pakistan after a 15-year hiatus; marked by a spectacular opening ceremony in Multan
The unusual dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan
After this early setback, Mohammad Rizwan partnered with Babar in the middle, and they began constructing a resilient partnership. They steadily accumulated runs on the scoreboard, guiding their team past the 100-run mark. Nevertheless, the game took a bizarre turn when Rizwan was dismissed in a rather unconventional manner. In the fourth ball of the 24th over, Rizwan pushed the ball towards short cover and set off for a single. Dipendra Singh executed a swift throw, and Rizwan, anticipating it might hit his body, momentarily lost focus. This distraction, coupled with the direct hit, brought an end to his impressive innings, where he had scored 44 runs.
Rizwan😭???
What was that 😭??#PAKvsNEP #AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup23 #PakvsNepal pic.twitter.com/HSJnBDQous
— Umais Malik 🇵🇰 (@RRstan1) August 30, 2023
Ravichandran Ashwin’s candid reaction to Rizwan’s dismissal
Interestingly, Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin couldn’t help but react to the situation on Twitter. He provided insight into why Rizwan didn’t attempt to dive to avoid the run-out. The 36-year-old shared a photo of Rizwan in action while running between the wickets and noted that Rizwan’s preference for sweeping against spin made the situation even more unusual, especially considering he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
“The height of the throw made it harder toe vade for Rizwan but for for someone who generally dives to make his ground all the time while running between the wickets, this is a rare instance of him duckking for cover and the only reason is that he isn’t wearing his helmet. He loves sweeping against spin and no helmet makes it even more bizarre,” Ashwin wrote.
The height of the throw made it harder to evade for Rizwan but for someone who generally dives to make his ground all the time while running between the wickets, this is a rare instance of him ducking for cover and the only reason is that he isn’t wearing his helmet.
He loves… pic.twitter.com/asBSX6rf9n
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 30, 2023
