ENG vs PAK: Azam speaks on the controversial wicket

For the majority of the fourth day, Pakistan was well ahead. They continued the procedures with 157 runs expected while England needed to pick six wickets. Mohammad Nawaz and Saud Shakeel put together a tenacious partnership that scored 80 runs before Ben Stokes delegated control to Mark Wood, who struck out both batters to shift the game’s momentum. However, Pakistan supporters were enraged by Shakeel’s dismissal because the decision was contentious. Before Pakistan captain Babar Azam broke his silence on the wicket, the controversial England dismissal received a lot of criticism on social media.

At lunch, in the 94th over of Pakistan’s chase, the dismissal occurred.

Wood angled the ball down towards the leg side and continued his short-ball strategy. Shakeel tried to play the pull shot, but he gloved it, and the wicketkeeper Pope made a diving catch on his right. Review was carried out right away. The weak signal had gone out.

🗣️ "We felt the ball had touched the ground."

Babar Azam talks about the Saud Shakeel decision.#PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/Wj72JYkTFI

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) December 12, 2022

Replays showed Pope grabbing the ball, but after completing the dive, he grounded it. Joel Wilson, the third umpire, took a long time to review the inclusive replays and ultimately gave the soft signal that had been given earlier.

Shakeel returned to the pavilion with a score of 94 off 213 balls, looking well positioned for what could have been his first century and the match-winning hit for Pakistan.

“The Shakeel dismissal cost us. It looked to us as if the ball had touched the ground. As a professional, you have to respect the umpire’s decision, but we felt the ball had been grounded.” 

he said. 

ALSO READ: England seal the series in 26-run thriller against Pakistan

Abrar Ahmed appeared to pose a threat to England after lunch with a rash of boundaries, but James Anderson ended his entertaining cameo with 17 runs. England won a historic series thanks to Pakistan’s quick loss of their final two wickets. Then again, Pakistan hit a low after very nearly fifty years, having lost three sequential Tests at home this year.