JOHANNESBURG: South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock is unlikely to face any sanction over the controversial run out of Fakhar Zaman during the Proteas’ 17-run win in the second One-day International on Sunday, according to reports.

After reviewing footage of the incident, match officials are believed to have come to the conclusion that de Kock was not in breach of the law on fielders deceiving batsmen.

In the last over of the match, with Pakistan still needing 30 to win, de Kock seemingly gestured for fielder Aiden Markram to throw to the bowler’s end, where Haris Rauf was heading.

Fakhar, who had struck an outstanding 193, looked behind him, away from the direction of the fielder, as he was running towards the wicket-keeper and was surprised when Markram’s throw hit the stumps at that end.

Social media immediately went into overdrive with cries that de Kock had flouted the law on fake fielding which states that “it is unfair for any fielder willfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batsman after the striker has received the ball”.

Fakhar admitted after the match that he had been taken by surprise but did not attempt to deflect blame for the dismissal on to cheating by the South African wicket-keeper.

“I was looking at Haris Rauf because I thought the run-out would be at his end. It was my own fault,” he said at the post-match press conference.

Officials are understood to have deemed that de Kock’s actions were not a trick and that he was indicating for the throw to go to the bowler’s end.

South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi tweeted on Monday that de Kock was calling for a fielder to back up the throw at the non-striker’s end.

“QDK was NOT speaking 2 or pointing at the batsman, he was asking a fielder to back up at the non strikers end,” Shamsi tweeted. “Not Quinnys fault the batman turned around 2 see instead of completing the run safely which he should have done.”

Pakistan seemed to have no chance when they slumped to 205 for seven in the 38th over in reply to South Africa’s 341-6 at the Wanderers. But Fakhar’s assault took them to 324 for nine.

With only his team’s bowlers to keep him company, the left-handed Fakhar, who was on 97 when Faheem Ashraf was the seventh man out, went on all-out attack.

In all, he hit 18 fours and 10 sixes in a 155-ball innings before being dismissed in the last over by a direct hit from long-off as he was trying for a second run.

“It was one of the best innings I have seen in my life,” said Pakistan captain Babar Azam. “The longer the game went, he built these small partnerships but his batting with the tail was outstanding. His hitting at that stage and how he managed that situation were amazing. It was a total one-man show — sadly he couldn’t finish the game and he missed his double. We were really praying for him to get that double. If he had one all-rounder batting with him, it could’ve ended 2-3 overs earlier.”

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma also showered praise on Fakhar’s grand knock and described it as one of the best he had seen.

“It was an incredible innings, probably the best I have come across,” Bavuma said. “Everything he tried came off.”

On the dismissal of Fakhar, Bavuma remarked: “You’ve always got to look for ways especially when things are not going your way, got to find ways to turn the momentum around. Quinny did that.

“I don’t think he broke the rules in any kind of way. It was a clever piece of cricket. Maybe some people criticize it for maybe not being in the spirit of the game. But it was an important wicket for us. Fakhar was getting close to our target. Yes, it was clever from Quinny.”

Fakhar, who made a One-day International double century — an unbeaten 210 — against Zimbabwe in 2018, was named man-of-the-match.

“I tried my level best,” the Pakistan left-hander said. “That’s my game. The wicket was really good, the boundaries were very short and the run rate was going up. I was just hitting the ball.”

South Africa’s win levelled the three-match series but the hosts will be without five of their Indian Premier League-contracted players — de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi — for the deciding match at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2021