PAK vs ENG 2022: [WATCH] Haider Ali’s pull strikes umpire Aleem Dar on the leg

Pakistan batter Haider Ali’s pull shot struck leg umpire Aleem Dar on the back of his thigh during the sixth T20I against England in Lahore on Friday, September 30.

England won the toss and opted to bowl first. On the penultimate ball of the sixth over, England pacer Richard Gleeson bowled a shortish delivery to Haider.

Sensing an opportunity for a boundary, the right-handed batter brought out a fierce pull. However, the ball struck umpire Dar, who took evasive action but couldn’t get out of the way in time. He was captured rubbing his leg after taking the somewhat painful hit.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) official Twitter handle shared a video of the incident with the caption:

“Ouch! #PAKvENG | #UKSePK.”

Pakistan are 3-2 up in the seven-match series. The hosts have won the last two games by close margins of three and six runs, respectively.

In Friday’s T20I, England’s bowlers did a good job of restricting Pakistan to 113 for four after 15 overs. Mohammad Haris, who replaced the prolific Mohammad Rizwan at the top of the order, perished for seven, caught while trying to help a delivery from Gleeson to fine leg.

Shan Masood was trapped lbw by David Willey for two, while Haider fell to Sam Curran for 18 off 14 balls. Skipper Babar Azam held one end for Pakistan and brought up a fighting 50. Babar and Iftikhar Ahmed (31) added 48 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter became Curran’s second victim of the innings.

England need to win Friday’s T20I to stay alive in the series. If they do so, the seventh T20I, to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, October 2, will become a series decider.

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PAK vs ENG 2022, 6th T20I playing XIs

Pakistan (playing XI): Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris (w), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shahnawaz Dahani.

England (playing XI): Philip Salt (w), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Richard Gleeson.