Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has broken his silence on the dismissal of opener Fakhar Zaman during Sunday’s Super Four clash against India, calling the controversial third-umpire decision “questionable” and admitting it shifted the game’s momentum.
“Looked like it bounced” – Agha
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Agha did not hide his reservations about the ruling.
“I don’t know about the decision. As far as I am concerned, it looked like the ball bounced before being collected. Obviously, it’s the umpire’s job and they can make mistakes—I have no problem with that. But to me, it did look like it bounced,” he said.
The Pakistan skipper went on to suggest that Fakhar’s dismissal robbed his side of a potentially explosive start.
“The way Fakhar was batting, if he had continued through the powerplay, we could probably have scored around 190,” Agha added.
The moment of controversy
The incident unfolded in the third over of Pakistan’s innings. Fakhar edged an off-cutter from Hardik Pandya towards wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who dived forward to complete the catch.
Given how close the ball was to the ground, the on-field umpires referred the matter upstairs. Fakhar, looking confident that the ball had touched the turf, waited for the verdict. After several replays from multiple angles, third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge ruled him out.
Fakhar stood momentarily in disbelief before trudging back to the pavilion, later seen discussing the decision with head coach Mike Hesson.
Reactions pour in
The call sparked immediate backlash. Former cricketers Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir and Fawad Alam openly criticised the umpiring, while fans on social media replayed the dismissal frame by frame, insisting the ball had bounced.
Alam was blunt: “Seems like we are playing against 14, not 11.” Amir added: “Fakhar was not out, that’s the tweet.” Hafeez urged Pakistan to rise above officiating errors: “Team Pakistan need to play A+ game to beat team India & on-field umpiring.”
India extend dominance
While the controversy dominated headlines, India walked away with another victory over their arch-rivals. Pakistan posted 171-5 in 20 overs, but India, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s scintillating 74 off 39 balls, chased down the target in 18.5 overs with four wickets in hand.
It was Pakistan’s second consecutive defeat to India in this tournament, further denting their hopes of a spot in the Asia Cup final.
What next?
With Pakistan already having lodged a formal complaint to the ICC over Fakhar’s dismissal, all eyes are now on the governing body’s response. For Agha and his men, however, the focus must quickly shift to regrouping before their next outing, as the Asia Cup’s margins for error grow slimmer.
