The 26th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 between Pakistan and South Africa turned out to be a nail-biting encounter, with the latter emerging victorious by a narrow margin of one wicket.
The game also witnessed a controversial DRS decision, involving the Proteas No. 11 batter Tabraiz Shamsi. With Pakistan needing one wicket to win, Haris Rauf hit Shamsi’s pads and appealed for LBW. While it looked very close at first glance, the on-field umpire declared it not out.
Pakistan team wasn’t satisfied with the call and opted for a review. Since the on-field umpire had given it not out, the review couldn’t overturn the decision even though the ball was just clipping the leg-stump.
After the match, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh took to social media platform X and claimed that it was because of the ‘bad umpiring’ and ‘bad rules’ that Pakistan ended up on the losing side.
“Bad umpiring and bad rules cost Pakistan this game.. @ICC should change this rule .. if the ball is hitting the stump that’s out whether umpire gave out or not out doesn’t matter.. otherwise what is the use of technology??? @TheRealPCB vs #SouthAfrica #worldcup,” Harbhajan tweeted.
In response, a user on X shared an old clip of former England skipper-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain explaining how the DRS technology works.
In the video, Nasser can be heard addressing Kohli’s concerns about why the umpire’s call exists.
However, Nasser’s explanation couldn’t convince Harbhajan, who alleged that the former England cricketer was paid to speak in favour of the DRS technology and prove why Kohli wasn't right.
“Paid to speak for tech to show tech is right. He is suggesting tech is right, @imVkohli isn’t, because tech must have paid the broadcaster to show how important is tech .. OK if the tech is right go with tech Why do u need umpires to stick to their own decisions? Utterly nonsense .. use 1 tech or umpire.. don’t make people fool who love this game blindly,” Harbhajan wrote.
With this loss, Pakistan’s semi-final chances have reduced considerably. Apart from winning their remaining three games, the Men in Green will now depend on the results of other teams to make it to the final four.
Pakistan’s next match is scheduled against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Tuesday (October 31).
