KARACHI: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal alleged on Monday that third umpire Steve Davis had victimised Pakistan after he ruled Umar Akmal caught behind on a referral decision during the high-voltage World Cup opener against India at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

“Steve Davis never upheld any appeal when I bowled and I had to always ask for a referral to get a wicket when he was the umpire,” Ajmal recalled while speaking to a private news channel after Pakistan’s 76-run loss to their fierce rivals.

Victory meant India have now won all six of their World Cup clashes against Pakistan, a remarkable statistic given the cricket talent available to their arch-rivals.

Umar came to the crease with Pakistan on the ropes at 102-4, chasing 301 to win, and was sent packing after a caught behind decision off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja was referred by captain and wicket-keeper M.S. Dhoni.

Replays proved inconclusive with the snickometer only showing the slightest of deviations but Davis surprisingly gave the batsman out.

“He has always had issues with us and even when we didn’t want him for a match no one listened to us,” Ajmal said. “When the snickometer didn’t show anything and there was no sound why was Umar given out on referral. Why was the field umpire’s original not out decision not upheld,” Ajmal questioned.

On another local television channel, Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan blamed the decision to play Umar as a part-time wicket-keeper for the game while dissecting the reasons for Pakistan’s loss.

Imran, Miandad and Shoaib slam team selection for India match

“I always believed in having specialist players and I think playing Umar as a keeper [despite specialist Sarfraz Ahmed being available] was a mistake and it cost us,” Imran said.

Umar dropped India’s Virat Kohli on 76 to allow the swashbuckling batsman to race to his 22nd ODI hundred and set up a big total for India. “I watched a cricket game after a long time today and my sons were also with me. I think Kohli was the key for India and batted very sensibly,” said Imran.

Pakistan batting great Javed Miandad, a part of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup team, also termed dropping Sarfraz from the playing XI as “mindboggling”.

“It was a mindboggling team selection that shocked millions of Pakistan cricket fans around the world,” Miandad wrote in his column on the tournament website where he also questioned the surprise’s decision to open the batting with Younis Khan.

On Younis starting Pakistan’s run-chase, he added: “There were no demons in the [Adelaide] wicket, but simply irresponsible shot selection cost Pakistan the match as they shuffled the batting order only to accommodate Younis.”

“Also, dozens of times we have seen Umar drop crucial catches in crunch matches at vital points. He didn’t surprise me when he dropped Kohli behind the stumps,” the former skipper added.

The decision to promote the out-of-form Younis up the order backfired spectacularly with the veteran batsman scoring just six and former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he had become a liability on the team.

“I just don’t understand why Younis has been kept in the team,” the outspoken Shoaib told a local news channel. “He is now more of a liability on the team. How can anyone justify his selection?”

Published in Dawn February 17th , 2015

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