Former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza has once again grabbed the cricketing headlines, and this time, it’s for yet another peculiar claim following India’s impressive victory over South Africa in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The high-flying hosts thrashed the second-placed South Africa by a colossal margin of 243 runs, further solidifying their reputation as title contenders.
What was anticipated to be an exhilarating clash between the top two sides of the competition turned out to be a rather one-sided affair, with India making light work of the Proteas. Batting first, India posted a mammoth total of 326 for 5, largely thanks to an unbeaten century from Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer also played a pivotal role, contributing 77 runs and partnering with Kohli to establish a century-plus stand for the third wicket.
In reply, South Africa was outmatched by India’s formidable bowling attack, getting bundled out for a meagre 83 runs. Their innings lasted less than 28 overs as India notched up another crushing victory. Ravindra Jadeja was the star with the ball, taking a career-best 5 for 33.
Despite India’s clinical victory and impressive display, Hasan Raza made an extraordinary claim. The former cricketer, who represented Pakistan in both Test and ODI formats, suggested that India manipulated the Decision Review System (DRS) to their advantage.
Raza specifically referred to Heinrich Klaasen’s lbw dismissal against Jadeja, citing this incident as an example. Klaasen had initially been given not out by the on-field umpire before India opted to review the decision. The replays demonstrated that the ball had pitched on the leg stump before straightening just enough to hit the leg stump.
“How can a ball that has been pitched on the leg stump by a left-arm spinner turn towards the middle stump? Impact was in line; the ball was headed towards the leg stump. I want this to be checked,” Raza emphasized.
In a rather controversial move, Hasan Raza claimed that DRS was being manipulated and insinuated that this wasn’t the first occurrence of such incidents during the World Cup. He also brought up Pakistan’s match against South Africa, where a DRS decision had played a crucial role.
“Yes, DRS is being manipulated. This isn’t the first time that it has happened (during the world cup). I will bring Pakistan into this discussion. Their match was so close against South Africa. Nobody apologised for that, it didn’t go in the favour of Pakistan. This is what home advantage, home conditions is all about,” he added.
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Raza’s commentary didn’t stop there. He recalled an incident from the 2011 World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan when the on-field umpire had given out Sachin Tendulkar lbw before being saved by the DRS. “I will return to the delivery that Saeed Ajmal bowled to legendary Sachin Tendulkar. He [Tendulkar] took the review. The ball was in the middle, showing a missing leg by two feet,” Raza stated.
It’s noteworthy that Hasan Raza has been making some unconventional claims recently, suggesting that the ICC and the BCCI have favoured Team India. This latest claim comes from India’s remarkable performance in bowling out Sri Lanka for just 55.
