Catch dropped after teammates collided — Pakistani wicketkeeper’s blunder sparks criticism on social media
Pic: ICC
Colombo: During Sunday’s tense Women’s One-Day World Cup match between India and Pakistan, India’s fielding was poor — wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh dropped three catches. But before that, Pakistan’s fielding had also been below par, and one dropped catch from their side has gone viral on social media.
Team India was bowled out for 247 runs on the last ball of the 50th over. At the end of the 49th over, India was 8 for 236. Richa Ghosh was on strike, and Kranti Goud was at the non-striker’s end. Pakistan’s pacer Diana Baig, who had already taken four wickets, bowled the first two balls of the over — Richa scored six runs including a boundary. On the third ball, Richa played a mistimed shot, and wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz ran forward to take the high catch — but then a bizarre incident occurred.
Sidra Nawaz almost caught the ball, but at that very moment, her teammate Natalia Pervaiz, who was also running in for the same catch, collided with her. Due to this collision, the ball slipped out of Nawaz’s hands, and Richa survived. The miscommunication between the two Pakistani fielders drew heavy criticism from fans on social media. After this dramatic moment in the final over, the Indian batters managed to add five more runs.
India had set a challenging target of 248 runs for Pakistan. Despite a fighting 81-run knock from Sidra Ameen, Pakistan’s innings collapsed for 159 runs, giving India an 88-run victory. With this win, India climbed to the number-one position in the eight-team tournament.
