The Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash between India and Pakistan saw yet another controversy when Fakhar Zaman's dismissal gave rise to a heated debate.
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Pakistan's captain, Salman Ali Agha broke his silence during a press conference over the incident, as he mentioned that umpires can make mistakes during such situations.
'I thought the ball bounced, but umpires can make mistakes,' says Salman Ali Agha
The incident occurred during the third over of the game when Fakhar Zaman, who was looking in fluent touch, nicked one behind to the wicket-keeper Sanju Samson off the bowling of Hardik Pandya.
The ball dipped on Samson, who took a catch very close to the ground. The decision was sent upstairs to the third umpire, who, after much consideration, declared it as Out. The decision gave rise to a lot of controversy with divided opinions from fans and experts.
While many considering it to be a clean catch, several experts and fans felt that the ball bounced just before it reached Samson's gloves.
The decision left the batter and the Pakistani camp visibly frustrated. Social media was soon abuzz with people calling it a 'very close call'.
The Pakistani skipper, Agha, during the post-match press conference, spoke about his version of the incident. He felt that the ball touched the ground, while also mentioning that it's a part of the game and that umpires can make mistakes.
"Don't know about the decision, as far as I am concerned...it did look like it bounced before...But I might be wrong...it was something...The way he (Fakhar) was batting, if he batted throughout the powerplay, we could have probably scored more than 190...but that's umpire's call and they can make mistakes," said Agha
Zaman started really well against India. The batter scored 15 off 9 and was looking in good touch. The batter also smashed Jasprit Bumrah for a couple of boundaries.
After his dismissal, the Pakistani middle-order faltered as they ended their first innings at a par score of 171, which appeared to be below par on a good batting track.
India, in response, comfortably chased down the target with 8 balls to spare on the back of a wonderful opening partnership of 100 runs between Shubman Gill ( 47 off 28 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (74 off 39 balls).