Pakistan routed West Indies by 120 runs in the second ODI match on Friday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the rescheduled three-match series. But the PAK vs WI match at Multan Cricket Stadium will be remembered for Pakistan captain Babar Azam's faux pas while fielding, which resulted in five penalty runs.
After setting a target of 276 runs, Pakistan were cruising for a big win with the Windies tottering at 131/7 in the 28th over. Then at the start of the 29th over, Babar Azam, the fielder, collected the ball behind the wicket using one of the wicketkeeping gloves.
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And it was deemed illegal by the on-field umpires and as a result, five extra runs were added to the West Indies total. Those penalty runs hardly mattered as the Windies were dismissed for 155 in 32.2 overs.
Here's what ICC's 'Laws of Cricket' says about using 'Protective equipment' by a fielder:
"No fielder other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. In addition, protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the consent of the umpires."
It indeed was a very rare incident in cricket. But for Babar Azam that bizarre turn of events will hardly dent his credentials. The 27-year-old from Lahore is currently the top-ranked batter in both the ODIs and T20Is.
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In the match, he hit 77 off 93 balls to become the first batter to score nine consecutive half-centuries in all formats of cricket.
Babar Azam's half-century streak started with a 196 during the second Test against Australia. It was followed by 66 and 55 in the third and the final Tests.
Then the Pakistan skipper scored 57, 114, and 105 not out during the three-match ODI series against the Aussies, which was followed by 66 against the visitor in the lone T20I.
In the ODI series opener against West Indies, he scored 103 off 107 balls to guide Pakistan to a five-wicket win. And in the process, he also became the fastest to score 1,000 ODI runs as a captain, surpassing Virat Kohli's record. He took only 13 innings, as compared to the former India skipper's 17.
It was also a record for Babar Azam, who became the first batter to score three consecutive ODI hundreds on two separate occasions.
Babar Azam has so far scored 2851 runs in 40 Tests (71 innings), 4441 in 88 (86 innings) ODIs and 2686 in 74 (69 innings) T20Is. He has 34 international centuries.
