PAK vs NED: Paul van Meekeren Bowls Only 5 Deliveries In An Over Against Pakistan In A Big Blunder By Umpires

The on-field umpires committed a huge blunder during the ongoing game between Pakistan and Netherlands in 2023 World Cup. The match is currently being played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Umpires Adrian Holdstock and Chris Brown failed to correctly keep a track of the number of deliveries bowled in the 14th over of Pakistan’s innings. Netherlands pacer Paul van Meekeren bowled only five deliveries before the umpires called it over.

The fast bowler began his over with three dots in a row to Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman then took a single to bring Saud Shakeel on strike. On the fifth ball of the over, van Meekeren bowled a short delivery and Shakeel pulled it for a four. And with a still a delivery remaining in the over, the umpire called it over.

With neither Pakistan nor Netherlands spotting the huge blunder, the mistake was not reported to the officials and Bas de Leede began the 15th over quickly. In a game of small margins, one ball can make a huge difference. The umpires as well as both the teams would be hoping that the incomplete over does not come back to haunt them.

This is not the first time that such a mistake has happened in a high-profile competition. During last year’s T2o World Cup, the umpires had committed a similar blunder when Australia were playing against Afghanistan in Adelaide.

Netherlands Rock Pakistan:

Talking about the game, Netherlands have made a solid start with the ball after winning the toss. The Oranje had Pakistan reeling at 38 for 3 inside 10 overs. Logan van Beek dismissed Fakhar Zaman before Colin Ackermann sent back captain Babar Azam. Four runs later, van Meekeren accounted for Imam-ul-Haq’s wicket to give his side a solid start.

But before Netherlands could make further inroads in the game, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel steadied the ship. At the time of writing this report, Pakistan were on 134 for 3 in the 24th over. Rizwan was batting on 47 while Shakeel was unbeaten on 51.