According to Pakistan’s team director, Mohammad Hafeez, the “inconsistent umpiring and technology curse” played a role in the tourists’ 79-run defeat in Friday’s second Test match between Australia and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Hafeez didn’t hold back when he criticised the umpires’ uneven calls during a news conference following the match, which ultimately led to Pakistan’s loss in Melbourne.
We admit as a team that we are not perfect, and we will try to improve. Hafeez stated at a news conference, “I think that inconsistent umpiring and the curse of technology really gave us a result that should have been different.”
Pakistan could not bounce back after Muhammad Rizwan’s verdict. Even though Pakistan came very close to winning the Melbourne Test, I’m fairly certain that we will win the Sydney Test.”
He also spoke with 29-year-old Babar Azam, who was unable to make big runs in red-ball cricket on a regular basis and failed to register even one half-century by the end of 2023.
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“Babar is a superb sportsman. With the upcoming games, we hope he scores a lot. “We are confident that Babar will score an outstanding century to help Pakistan win the Sydney Test,” he said, citing his impressive batting performance in the nets.
It should be noted that Hafeez said these things after Pakistan’s Muhammad Rizwan was controversially awarded. It was crucial to withdraw when the visitors seemed to be batting comfortably in their bid to chase 317 runs.
Australia’s skipper, Pat Cummins, begged for a catch in the 61st over of Pakistan’s second innings, but the umpire said it was not out. The Australian skipper then decided to check it out since he thought Rizwan had given it a glove.
After analysing the appeal from several angles and coming to the conclusion that the ball had passed the wrist band because of a spike, the third umpire asked the on-field umpire to reverse his decision.
For a split second, the 31-year-old looked away from the ball, but nothing was visible in the hotspot. Rizwan went back to the cottage, convinced he had not gotten anything and utterly confused.
Rizwan was batting on 35 runs at the time, and Pakistan was 98 runs from victory.
Australia and Pakistan will play their final Test match in Sydney on January 3.
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