WATCH: Mujeeb Ur Rahman hits reverse sweep; umpires calls dead ball

WATCH: Mujeeb Ur Rahman hits reverse sweep; umpires calls dead ball

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was denied four runs as the umpire called the delivery a ‘dead ball’ in the contest between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia on Tuesday (November 1). The incident happened on the fourth ball of the last over of the first innings.

Mujeeb played a reserve sweep to send the ball over third man for a boundary. However, the on-field umpire called it a dead ball as he wasn’t ready. Hence, Afghanistan lost 3 runs as they scored 1 run off the next delivery. This obviously didn’t settle well with many fans and they bashed the umpire for not being attentive.

Speaking of the game, Sri Lankan bowlers did well to restrict the opponents to 144 for 8. No batter from Afghanistan managed to cross the 30-mark. Wanindu Hasaranga, who bowled the last over, gave away only 3 runs in the final over and also picked up two wickets.

In reply, Sri Lanka had a moderate start to the innings. Dhananjaya de Silva scored an unbeaten 66 off 42 deliveries, including six fours and two sixes. As a result, they managed to register a comfortable 6-wicket win with 9 balls to spare. Hasaranga was adjudged the player of the match for his match-defining spell.

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Wanindu Hasaranga bounces back

Asia Cup
Wanindu Hasaranga

After kicking off the campaign with a win, the 2022 Asia Cup winners went off colors. They lost back-to-back games against New Zealand and Australia to risk their semis spot. Even Wanindu Hasaranga failed to adapt to the new conditions in Perth and went expensive. But he has managed to bounce back in the tournament.

“We lost last two games against Australia and New Zealand. We had to play our best game. I am really happy. Last game also I thought Zampa bowled well. I tried to vary my pace here. Perth was very good for the batters. I had gone for a few runs against Australia. But I knew I will bounce back. I had the support of big boundaries here,” Hasanga said at the post-match presentation.

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With the latest win, Sri Lanka are finding themselves in fourth spot in their group. They will next lock horns against England on November 5 (Saturday) for their last group stage clash. It will be a must-win game for the Lankans if they wish to proceed to the next round of the event.

Read More: WATCH: Kane Williamson claims dropped catch; apologies to Jos Buttler later