The first T20I between Pakistan and Australia in Lahore on Thursday (January 29) produced a comical moment, involving TV umpire Nasir Hussain.
The match official was subjected to social media trolling after he made serious goof-ups while reviewing a DRS call, taken by the visiting team against Babar Azam.
Hussain’s gaffe left the commentators and on-field umpire, Ahsan Raza, in splits, making a mockery of Pakistan’s umpiring system on the international stage.
The incident unfolded in the 14th over after Adam Zampa’s delivery beat Babar’s reverse sweep and struck the Pakistan batter on the pad.
As Ahsan was not convinced by the initial appeal, the tourists opted for DRS. Ball-tracking showed that the delivery had pitched outside off stump and was clearly hitting the stumps. However, third umpire interpreted it as “pitching outside leg" as he seemed confused by the change in the batter’s stance while attempting the reverse sweep.
Hussain was soon corrected by a fellow official and, upon realising his mistake, asked for the ball-tracking to be shown once again. After the second review, he made another blunder by asking the on-field umpire to uphold his original decision, which was not out.
Although Hussain quickly corrected himself, the on-field umpire was left in a dilemma and ended up making multiple signals before making the right one.
Here’s the video:
Coming to the match, Pakistan posted a modest 168/8 and restricted Australia to 146/8, securing a comfortable 22-run victory. Saim Ayub was the stand-out performer for the hosts, scoring 40 off 22 balls and then returning with the bowling figures of 2/29 in 3 overs.
With this victory, the Men in Green gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second and third T20Is will also be held in Lahore on January 31 and February 1, respectively.
