VIDEO | Umar Akmal left embarrassed after taking absurd review to evade yet another duck

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

24
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Heading into the second T20I, all eyes were once again on the returning Umar Akmal, who had gotten out for a first-ball duck in the first match. But in a desperate attempt to get off the mark, Akmal cost Pakistan with a ludicrous review, as replays showed that the ball clearly struck his pad first.

Prior to the commencement of this series, 2016 was the last time Umar Akmal had featured in a T20I for Pakistan, so understandably, all eyes were on him heading into the series. In the first T20I, he had the worst possible start as he was struck plumb in front of a Nuwan Pradeep inswinger on his very first ball. Fans and experts started questioning Akmal's inclusion and it got to the point where skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and coach Misbah-ul-Haq had to publicly come out and defend his selection.

But all things said, Akmal's talent has never been in question and so heading into the second T20I, there was still hope that he would turn things around for Pakistan with his flamboyance. Walking in to bat at 51/3, the stage was set for Akmal to prove his worth and show the world why the coach and the skipper had backed him to get the job done.

On his very first ball of the match in the eighth over, leggie Wanindu Hasaranga bowled a short googly which turned considerably and came towards Akmal. On the first glance, it looked like Akmal had negotiated it successfully and had cut it towards the cover fielder, but as the Lankan players went up in unison appealing for an LBW, the on-field umpire gave it out after a long thought. But Umar Akmal then reviewed the call immediately, giving away the impression that the ball had indeed hit the bat first and not the pad. 

As everyone anxiously waited for the replay on the big screen, ultra-edge showed that the ball, shockingly, had indeed clipped Akmal's pad first and not his bat. Ball-tracker then showed that the ball would have gone onto hit the middle of middle stump, leaving Akmal red-faced and embarrassed. 

In a desperate attempt to avoid getting out for a duck, Akmal cost Pakistan a review and in the process also made a fool out of himself. He eventually registered his second consecutive golden duck and also his 10th duck overall in T20I cricket, thereby equalling Tillakaratne Dilshan's unwanted record for the most ducks in T20I cricket.

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