WATCH | Saud Shakeel's controversial caught behind wicket divides netizens
The netizens were divided on whether the ball had touched the ground or not
Chasing a historic Test series victory on Pakistani soil, England were given a huge filip afterSaud Shakeel was adjudged caught behind in a controversial manner. Chasing a stiff 352-run target, Pakistan's hopes were pinned on Saud Shakeel (94) who had stabilised the innings and was nearing his century.
However, during the final hour of the first session, captain Ben Stokes attempted to shake things up. He brought James Anderson and Mark Wood back into the attack.A charged-up Wood during his second spell of the day resorted to short-pitch bowling.
Mohammed Nawaz who had joined Shakeel after the dismissal of Ashraf, earlier in the day, was strangled down the leg, whilst attempting a pull.
Wood persisted with the line and ensnared Shakeel in a similar manner as the southpaw feathered the ball behind to a diving Ollie pope.
As the English side appealed loudly, umpire Aleem Dar made his way to colleague and square leg umpire Marais Erasmus to discuss the dismissal. Dar concurred that there was an edge but remained suspicious regarding the catch and if it was taken cleanly by Pope.
However, after the consultation, both umpires gave the 'Out' soft signal. The third umpire, despite multiple replays, could not ascertain if the ball had spilled out of the gloves or not.
According to the laws, unless there is conclusive evidence to turn the on-field decision, the third umpire sticks with the original call. In this case, the soft signal was 'Out' and Joel Wilson decided to stickwith the same.
However, the dismissal did not go down well with a section of fans. "Have seen more clean takes than this one given not out", said one of the netizens while another added:
"Was that out? Has the ball not touched the ground? The decision on the dismissal of Saud Shakeel is controversial where the onfield and TV umpire should have given benefit of the doubt to Saud Shakeel."
Former England captain Micahel Vaughan agreed that the ball had touched the ground.
"Thought I saw a little bit of the ball hitting the ground with that last dismissal .. #PAKvENG...What another great Test match..."
In the end, Pakistan lost the match by 26 runs as England managed to win their second Test series in Pakistan after a gap of 22 years. It was under Nasser Hussain's captaincy that England first won a Test series in 2000.
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