Pakistan lost but Mohammad Amir wins latest showdown against Virat Kohli
Amir has picked up 13 wickets in World Cup 2019 so far
June 17, 2019
MANCHESTER: Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir won his latest face-off against Virat Kohli by picking up his prize wicket in the recent World Cup encounter at Old Trafford.
Kohli was caught behind on Amir’s delivery on a quick bouncer. The wicket was in vain as Pakistan went down to India in the match.
However, the wicket wasn’t without some controversy. Replays showed that Kohli wrongly walked off on what he thought was a think nick through to Sarafaraz Ahmed.
The Indian skipper did not wait for the umpire’s decision before waking off, despite the fact that umpire Marais Erasmus was not convinced when Pakistan appealed.
Replays suggested the star batsman, who in the course of his innings became the quickest player to score 11,000 one-day international runs, had erred with no spike indicating a nick detected on the Ultra Edge system.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, commentating on television, said he had walked because there was a creak in the handle of his bat and that, rather than an edge, was the sound he heard.
The practice of batsmen ´walking´ or giving themselves out without waiting for an umpire´s decision was a familiar sight in professional cricket in many countries.
Prior to the match, Kohli had downplayed hype of the match-up with Amir. “I won’t give an answer to give you TRPs,” Kohli said when a journalist asked him about his contest with Pakistan’s fast bowler.
“To be honest, I give respect to skills of bowlers but to say that I have contest with any particular bowler isn’t the right thing. For me, it's white ball or red ball coming to me and I have to play it on merit,” Kohli said.
Fans had been waiting anxiously for this match-up after Amir picked up Kohli’s wicket in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 which Pakistan won.
Amir who was left out when Pakistan’s initial World Cup squad was announced has been the pick of the Pakistan bowlers. The fast-bowler is also the leading wicket-taker with 13 along with Australia’s Mitchell Starc
