Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a non-declared wide in the India vs Bangladesh 2023 World Cup match. He has labeled it as unnecessary. Akram attributes it to a genuine mistake by the umpire. He suggests that those making a fuss about it are individuals with idle time who thrive on such matters.
In the 17th match of the 2023 World Cup, at MCA Pune, India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets. Bangladesh set a target of 256/8, which India chased down in 41.3 overs.
The controversy arose in the final over when a delivery down leg by Bangladesh’s Nasum Ahmed was not called a wide by umpire Richard Kettleborough. This incident occurred as Virat Kohli was on the brink of scoring a century. He then achieved it with a six which also secured India’s victory.
Addressing the issue on A Sports, Wasim Akram acknowledged that the disputed ball was indeed wide but downplayed the controversy.
“Seems like a genuine error on the part of the umpire. It was undoubtedly a wide ball. Regarding the controversy, it’s meant for individuals with idle time, living off this cr*p, and they really can go nuts with it,” he said.
Virat Kohli’s impressive performance, scoring 103 off 97 balls, was lauded by Akram.
“Fielding for 50 overs, and even after reaching 90, he was still smashing big hits. That displays extraordinary fitness. This guy is truly from another planet,” the former Pakistan captain said.
Dismissing the notion of Kohli prioritizing personal milestones over the team, Akram pointed out that India was comfortably winning the game.
“There’s chatter about the run rate, but they were comfortably winning with 15-20 overs to spare. If a century is within reach, why not go for it? They were playing with the bowlers and relishing their time at the crease,” he added.
“When Kohli stepped onto the pitch after that start, it was just a waiting game. With 48 ODI centuries under his belt, he’s now just one away from matching the record of the great man, Sachin Tendulkar, who has 49 tons,” he concluded.
Looking ahead, India’s next World Cup encounter is against New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 22.