Pathum Nissanka was dismissed early in the Sri Lanka innings against Afghanistan. (Source: Screengrab/Hotstar)The inaugural match of Asia Cup 2022 between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan was shrouded in a moment of heated debate on the last ball of Lankan’ second over when a decision by third umpire Jayaraman Madangopal raised several doubts and sharp reactions on social media.
Pathum Nissanka was given out by the TV Umpire. (Screengrab/Hotstar)
Southpaw Pathum Nissanka was given out on delivery by Naveen-ul-Haq. Umpire Anil Kumar Chaudhary’s finger went leaving the Lankan batter with a shocked reaction. While he opted for the review what was shown on screen was a murmur on UltraEdge, not a clear spike. Third Umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal decided to stay with he decision by the on-field umpire.
Opinions were also cast on the small movement in the line but without any clear spike. “I see a spike as the ball passes the bat. Satisfied bat involved,” said Madanagopal.
The controversial moment did not escape the notice of fans and commentators of the game and irked quite a few supporters. A few faces in the Sri Lankan dressing room were stunned but in the Afghanistan camp, it was a moment of elation. Nissanka was also late to review as well.
“Where is the spike? “I have not seen something like this,” Sanjay Manjekar was quoted as saying on air.
Sri Lanka dressing room reacts. (Screengrab/Hotstar)
“Never saw any spike on the ultra edge re Pathum Nissanka’s review. Horrible decision by the 3rd Umpire Jayaraman.” – said Roshan Abeysinghe, another current international cricket commentator.
As Sri Lanka went down to 5/3 after two overs, upset fans questioned the decision on the internet.
Back-to-back run-outs!
This period of play left Sri Lanka in tatters as Rajapaksa was run out when Karunaratne committed the sin of trying to steal a single of a miss-field. This was after Nabi failed to collect it cleanly. The batters, after completing a single tried to collect another when Nabi hits the bull’s eye at the bowler’s end to catch the batter short of his ground.
Another one
Theekshana run out
8 down Sri Lanka at 69#AsiaCup #AsiaCup2022 #AFGvSL #SLvAFG https://t.co/lUfkNDBlh7 pic.twitter.com/GOh1M1O7fU— Salman Hassan (@SalmanHassan__) August 27, 2022
Sri Lanka slid into further disarray when M Theekshana was runout off the very next ball as Naveen Ul Haq fired a quick throw from the deep and Gurbaz broke the stumps catching the batter short of his ground. At that stage,, Lankans were eight down for just 69 and in a total rut.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi elected to bowl against Sri Lanka after winning the toss in the Asia Cup opener on Saturday. For Afghanistan, this is their 100th T20 International match. The Afghans dished out an impressive bowling display to bundle out Sri Lanka for a below-par 105 in the Group B Asia Cup match. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi (3/11) did the damage at the top before the spin duo of Mujeeb-ur Rahman (2/24), and Mohammad Nabi (2/14) skittled through the middle overs.
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