AB De Villiers' Sensible Reply On Debate Over Shadab Khan's Run Out In 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan
The second One-Day International (ODI) match between Pakistan and Afghanistan included a contentious moment in the final few minutes of the game when Pakistan needed 11 runs off the final over to win the thrilling encounter.
Afghanistan's new speedster bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi shown exceptional awareness by running out Shadab Khan at the non-striker's end. Shadab Khan, who had been batting brilliantly, reaching 48 off 35 balls, was backing up too far on the first delivery of the final over.
Just before bowling the first ball, Frooqi noticed Shadab leaving the crease early and ran him out, with the Afghanistan team ecstatic.
When the TV umpire concluded that it was really a run-out, Shadab lingered for a few seconds before heading back to the pavilion.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam's team won with Naseem Shah hitting the winning runs with only one wicket in hand.
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The contentious incident sparked a debate about the batter's run out, with South African legend AB de Villiers also weighing in.
"The commentator, probably HD Ackerman, said: 'I don't have a problem with Mankad, but why don't teams do it in the fifth or sixth over of the innings?'" Why is it only near the end? They just panic and do it when they believe it's the only way to win the match #AFGvPAK," he responded.
"Because batters only try to steal runs near the end of an inning," he explained on X (previously Twitter).
Naseem Shah, who batted at number 10, blasted a boundary off the penultimate delivery to give his team a thrilling victory over Afghanistan, who played their hearts out but still lost.
The 20-year-old miscued a boundary off fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and rushed jubilantly to the dressing room as Pakistan finished with 302-9 in 49.5 overs.
Pakistan already leads the series 2-0, with the third and final game scheduled for Saturday in Colombo.
Pakistan's historic victory overshadowed Afghanistan starter Rahmanullah Gurbaz's career-best run-a-ball 151, which helped his team reach 300-5 in 50 overs.