ICC T20 World Cup: "Not once did it cross my mind to use a Mankad"- Brad Evans on Mohammad Wasim Jnr backing up too much on the final delivery of PAK-ZIM clash

Brad Evans bowled a fantastic final over against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup game in Perth to hand Zimbabwe a historic 1-run victory. With 3 runs required off the final delivery, non-striker Mohammad Wasim Jnr left his crease well before the bowler delivered the ball.

Coming down hard at Wasim Jnr, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg asked for a severe penalty on any batter for backing up too much at the non-striker’s end. In response, Brad Evans quipped that the thought of running out the batter never crossed his mind.

Brad Evans replied to Hogg’s post on Twitter:

“Guess it’s down to the individual who’s bowling. Not once did it cross my mind to use a mankad #spiritofcricket,”

As per the new rules of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Mankading (a bowler running out the batter at the non-striker’s end) no longer falls under the 'Unfair Play’ Section and is considered a legitimate form of dismissal.

Opinions have been divided on this form of dismissal. The former and current England players had come down hard at Deepti Sharma for running out Charlie Dean in a recent ODI match, which sparked a huge controversy on social media. Only Alex Hales was among the English cricketers who came out in support of Deepti Sharma.

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A historic win for Zimbabwe to spice up things in the T20 World Cup courtesy of Brad Evans

Riding on an exceptional bowling effort from the bowlers, Zimbabwe managed to defend their below-par score of 130 in the T20 World Cup. Sikandar Raza spun a web around the Pakistan middle-order, finishing with figures of 3/25. He was ably supported by the pace quartet as Pakistan collapsed from a winning position, eventually losing on the final delivery.

The Pakistan bowlers were all over the place in the powerplay as Zimbabwe raced off to 24/0 in the first two overs. They did fight their way back into the game thanks to a spectacular spell from Mohammad Wasim Jnr, but the powerplay proved decisive in the end.

Pakistan just needed to bat sensibly to get over the line as 130 was never going to be the match-winning score. However, the early loss of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan put Pakistan's middle order under pressure and they couldn’t quite recover from the early jolts.

Brad Evans bowled a sensational final over, defending just 10 runs to take his side over the finish line. He conceded 7 runs from the first two balls but held his nerves to turn the table and script a memorable victory for Zimbabwe.

With back-to-back losses, Pakistan are on the verge of elimination from the group stage of the T20 World Cup. They need to win their remaining matches and hope that other results go in their favor to sneak into the final four.

Pakistan will face the Netherlands on 30th October followed by South Africa (3rd November) and Bangladesh (6th November).