The T20i captain Salman Ali Agha from Pakistan has spoken Scepsis about the disputed resignation of opener Fakhar Zaman during the Super Four Clash of the ACC Men’s Asia T20 Cup 2025 against India in Dubai’s international cricket stage.
During a press conference after the second consecutive loss of Pakistan for India in the tournament, Agha shared his reservations about the decision.
“I don’t know about the decision. As far as I am concerned, it seemed that the ball bounced before it was collected. Of course it is the task of the referee and they can make mistakes. I have no problem with that. But it seemed like it bounced,” said Agha.
“I may be wrong, I don’t know. The way Fakhar struck if he had passed through the Power Play, we could probably have scored around 190,” he added.
The incident took place at the third delivery of the third party of the collection of Pakistan. Fakhar Zaman tried to ride at an off-cutter from Hardik Pandya and aimed the ball towards Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.
However, delivery lost the pace of the field, so Samson would dive forward to take the catch.
Given the proximity of the ball to the ground with regard to the collection, the referees on the field referred the decision to the third referee. Fakhar, who seemed confidence that the ball had touched the turf, waited for the verdict.
After several repetitions from several corners, the third referee Ruchira Palliyaguruge Fakhar assessed. The left -handed stood in disbelief before he walked back to the pavilion.
On his return he was seen about the decision with head coach Mike Hesson, apparently surprised about the outcome.
The dismissal immediately ignited the debate on social media, in which fans and former players criticize the referee standards in the controversial meeting.
Former Pakistan Cricketers Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir and Fawad Alam belonged to those who called the decision strongly and called it ‘unacceptable’ in a match of such a size.
In the meantime, India won their second victory over Pakistan in the current tournament.
First, the Green Shirts 171-5 hit in 20 overs, but the men in Blue successfully chased the target in 18.5 overs with four wickets in hand, thanks to opener ABHISHEKS Sharma’s match-winning knock of 39 balls.
For the unexpected, India will be confronted opposite Bangladesh in their next game at the same location on Wednesday.
