“Cause batters only try to steal runs…”, AB De Villiers gives sensible reply to journalist over latest ‘mankad’ incident during Pakistan vs Afghanistan

Afghanistan celebrated Farooqi's quick thinking, but Naseem Shah hit the winning boundary to give Pakistan a dramatic win with only one wicket remaining.

“Cause batters only try to steal runs…”, AB De Villiers gives sensible reply to journalist over latest ‘mankad’ incident during Pakistan vs Afghanistan

Fazalhaq Farooqi mankading (image via ATV News)

As Pakistan chased the target of 11 runs in the final over of the second one-day international between Afghanistan and Pakistan, an unusual moment stole the show. Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi displayed outstanding game awareness by dismissing Pakistan’s Shadab Khan at the non-striker’s end through ‘mankading‘. Shadab Khan had been batting excellently, scoring 48 runs off 35 balls’

Afghanistan celebrated Farooqi’s quick thinking, but Naseem Shah hit the winning boundary to give Pakistan a dramatic win with only one wicket remaining.

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Former South African captain AB de Villiers responded sarcastically to a Pakistani journalist upon the recent mankading incident. This interaction took place after the user shared HD Ackermann’s perspective on ‘Mankading’ following the second ODI between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The commentator questioned the scheduling of such runouts, stating that they tend to occur later in the innings, out of desperation, as opposed to in the early overs.

“Cause batters only try to steal runs towards the back end of an innings,” AB De Villiers wrote on his X (formerly Twitter).

The victory gave Pakistan a 2-0 advantage in the three-match series. Afghanistan’s opening batsman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a career-best 151 runs, which led the team’s total to 300-5 in 50 overs. Afghanistan came out on the losing side despite their best efforts, with Pakistan claiming victory in an exciting climax.

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AB De Villiers agrees with Ravi Shastri’s idea of playing Virat Kohli at No. 4

Mankad is not against the rules of cricket, but it has been a point of debate because it could undermine the sport's values.
AB De Villiers (image via Getty Images)

AB de Villiers, a former teammate of Virat Kohli’s at Royal Challengers Bangalore, also agrees with former India coach Ravi Shastri that the right-handed batsman should bat fourth for India in one-day internationals.

According to De Villiers, Virat Kohli is the perfect fit for No. 4 position and can play any kind of role in that team’s middle order. India will start their Asia Cup campaign on September 3 and on October 8, they will play their first match of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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