It was drama filled and a complete entertainer of an India versus Pakistan clash at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. With 16 left in the final over, Mohammad Nawaz did picked two wickets, but in between bowled a controversial no ball which was dispatched for six by Virat Kohli, en route to what was a sensational T20I knock from the former India captain, and also bowled two wides before Ashwin pulled off the winning run to give India the prefect start in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Legends of Pakistan cricket, namely Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis have all been vocal about the no-ball controversy in the last over. They lashed out at the umpire and opined that it should have been referred to the TV umpire. Few others slammed captain Babar Azam for retaining spinner Mohammad Nawaz for the final over.
Amid the drama-filled MCG clash and the noises on social media on the controversy, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja had opened up on Pakistan's four-wicket loss.
"A classic! You win some, you lose some and, as we all know, this game can be cruel and unfair. Couldn't have given more with bat and ball. Very proud of the effort!" he tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}"A classic! You win some, you lose some and, as we all know, this game can be cruel and unfair. Couldn't have given more with bat and ball. Very proud of the effort!" he tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}"It was a tight match and the bowlers did well in the first 10 overs as it wasn't easy. Credit goes to Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli, for the way they shifted the momentum and finished the match," Babar said in the post-match press conference.
"Basically, the plan was to introduce our main bowlers because we needed wickets and build pressure as a partnership was building. But unfortunately, it didn't happen. Virat Kohli showed his class and Nawaz also did well. It was a close match," he added.
Pakistan will next face Zimbabwe on October 27 in Perth.