ISLAMABAD: Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali was at a centre of controversy after he claimed a catch despite apparently dropping the ball in their opening tour match against Kent. The tourists comfortably beat the county side by 100 runs after putting 358 on the board after 50 overs on Saturday. Kent were on 176 for 3 in the 30th over when Alex Blake, on 89, skied a return catch to the bowler, Hasan Ali. Video footage emerged on Monday that showed the pacer appeared to drop the catch. However, Ali continued his celebration as the ball lay on the ground and the batsman was not given a reprieve by the umpire. The laws of cricket state that a catch is completed only when “a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her movement”. The image of Pakistan cricket was damaged by a spot-fixing controversy that blighted their England tour in 2010, with three players banned from the game. Pakistan will play a bilateral limited-over series with England before the start of the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2019 World Cup.
Hasan Ali’s controversial catch ignites debate
Published on: May 1, 2019 1:36 AM