Colombo, Oct 6
Pakistan pacer Diana Baig commented on opening batter Muneeba Ali's bizarre run-out against India in the Women's World Cup 2025 group match at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium, stating that whatever the issue was, it has now been resolved.
An unusual scene unfolded during the fourth over of Pakistan's chase when Muneeba was actually deemed run-out, causing a brief stoppage of the game, with Pakistan questioning the decision on the edge of the boundary while the dismissed batter Muneeba remained on the edge of the field of play.
The sequence of events that led to the confusion was unusual. First, Muneeba had not been attempting a run - she had been batting out of her crease as India appealed for an lbw off Kranti Goud's bowling. As that appeal went up, Muneeba promptly grounded her bat behind the crease before the throw from Deepti Sharma came in from the slip cordon.
However, Muneeba briefly lifted her bat off the ground again without grounding any other part of her body behind the line, and it was during the moment her bat was slightly raised that Deepti's throw hit the stumps and dislodged the bails.
The umpire decided to deliver the verdict in favour of the Indian team, triggering a huge controversy that also led the Pakistan captain to raise the issue with the officials.
Asked about the incident at the post-match presser, Baig replied, "Muneeba's run-out issue has already been settled, I believe. I don't want to talk much about it now. Whatever happened and whatever the situation was, I think it has been resolved.
Baig, meanwhile, took her 100th international wicket with a four-wicket haul against India. However, Pakistan fell 88 runs short while chasing a 248-run target in their second ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match here at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
Baig, who took 4/69 off 10 overs, pointed to her side's batting woes as the reason they fell short in the World Cup contest against India.
"I think 250 was a good target when we started the chase. But we lost too many wickets early on, which broke our momentum. When Natalia and Sidra were batting, we had settled down a bit, but once they got out, the innings became unstable again.
"We’re constantly trying — if we can perform more consistently, both in practice and in matches, I’m sure we’ll start winning more games," she said.
Pakistan will be back in action on Wednesday, facing another tough test against Australia in Colombo.
India play South Africa on Thursday, aiming to maintain their unbeaten record, now standing at two from two in their home tournament.
- IANS
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