Pakistan to take up Mohammad Rizwan's controversial 2nd Test dismissal with ICC

Mohammad Rizwan was left frustrated as he was dismissed in a rather controversial fashion during the second Test against Australia in Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. The incident happened in Pakistan's 317-run chase when they were cruising and only 98 runs behind to level the series. Australia captain Pat Cummins bowled a short-pitched delivery and Rizwan tried to leave it.

The on-field umpire didn't give out on Australia's appeal for a possible caught behind, so Cummins decided to take the third umpire's help. The third umpire, Richard Illingworth, took his time and watched the incident multiple times through different camera angles and then finally gave out which was the decisive moment of the match. Australia won the match and sealed the series to their name.

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The hotspot technology wasn't able to confirm the presence of an edge, so Illingworth turned to the Snickometer, which confirmed that the ball had touched Rizwan's wristband.

Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to take up issues related to umpiring and the use of technology with the International Cricket Council (ICC). PCB head Zaka Ashraf had a talk with team director Mohammed Hafeez about the incident. Hafeez expressed concerns about the umpiring decisions and the utilization of technology during the match.

Hafeez was upset during the post-match press conference at the MCG, emphasising the need to address inconsistent umpiring and the challenges posed by technology. "If you look at the entire game, there were very inconsistent decisions by the umpires. We play this beautiful game of cricket with natural instinct, and we all know the basics of the game," Hafeez said.

"However, at times, it feels like the focus is more on technology than on the actual cricket being played. I believe this is an area that needs to be addressed," he added.

"I am not against technology in the game. But if it brings doubt and confusion, it is not acceptable. Some decisions were not understandable. The ball hitting the stumps is always out. I will never understand why there is an umpire's call," he further added.