The world of cricket saw some spice added to the longest format of the game when, during an ongoing Test match between South Africa and Pakistan, the players from the two teams engaged in a verbal duel on the field. The players involved in this incident were Hasan Ali of Pakistan and the South African wicketkeeper, Quinton de Kock.
The South African team who are on a rare tour to Pakistan, are currently playing a Test match in Karachi against the hosts. The match has had 3 days of cricket being played, during the course of which, the Proteas, have batted once already, being dismissed on 220 runs in the innings, and are now in their second inning with a lead of 29 runs to their name and their total resting at 187 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Pakistan, in the only inning that they batted in were able to put up a score of 378 runs on the board before being all out.
Aleem Dar rushed in to separate the two cricketers during verbal duel
This incident happened during the 2nd day of the match itself when the Pakistan tail end was batting. It all unfolded after the 1st delivery of the 28th over of the team’s inning when Hasan Ali was on the crease with Nauman Ali, and the score rested at 306 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. With the ball in hand for the Proteas was their bowler Keshav Maharaj.
On the 2nd delivery of the over, which saw the ball staying low, catching the bottom edge of Hasan Ali’s bat as it crashed on to the stump. But, as it turned out, the celebrations for the bowler Maharaj and his team were short-lived as the ball was called to be a no-ball. As the camera panned towards a dejected Maharaj who was returning back to his bowling spot, the stump mic at the batting end caught some heated voices.
And, they were of a frustrated de Kock and Ali who had engaged in a verbal duel. The umpire from the square of the wicket, Ahsan Raza and the bowling end, which happened to be Aleem Dar rushed to get the two players away from each other and stop the fight, which could have taken an early turn.
While nothing was clear from the recordings of the incident, but what transpired between the two players on the crease at the moment, did add a touch of much needed spicy action towards the end of the 2nd Day, after which the South Africans can be regarded to be the team on top.
Video of the incident:
