Mohammad Rizwan fell six short of a fifty after a bizarre run out against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup opener, failing to beat a direct hit after he took evasive action on his way into the crease.

Rizwan, at No.4, gave Babar Azam company as the two rebuilt the innings after a couple of early blows, but the 86-run partnership met an unfortunate end in the 24th over. Rizwan pushed Sandeep Lamichhane to covers and set off for a quick run. A direct hit from Dipendra Airee, though, couldn’t be beaten, and Rizwan fell short of his crease.

What made the dismissal interesting was Rizwan’s decision not to dive and beat the throw, but jump. As suggested by R Ashwin on X (formerly Twitter), Rizwan’s decision to not wear a helmet might have played a part in it. As the throw came in, Rizwan jumped in an evasive manner, but ended up having both his feet in the air and the bat not grounded, leading to a hopeless tangle.

At the other end, skipper Babar threw his cap in frustration upon seeing the manner of the dismissal. Rizwan would surely have been unhappy himself.

Rizwan’s dismissal and Agha Salman’s early departure paved the way for a huge, bruising stand between Babar and Iftikhar Ahmed. Babar continued the charge to end up on 151 off 131, his second best ODI score. Iftikhar turned a solid start into a cracking finish with a 67-ball hundred, the fourth-fastest in Asia Cup ODI history.

Pakistan finished on 342-6 in 50 overs.

Watch Babar’s reaction to Rizwan’s bizarre run out against Nepal

"Babar straight away throwing away his cap down , saying what have you done"#PAKvsNEP #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/Na9U0DLa2K

— KiranWho (@itx_kiranwho) August 30, 2023