Picture Credit: Twitter/@Cricketireland
It has been a brilliant day for the cricket fans across the globe with a lot of action starting on June 2, Wednesday. While England kicked-off their summer against New Zealand at Lord's, the 3-match ODI series between Netherlands and Ireland also began in Utrecht. While the fans were not allowed inside the stadium, the players certainly didn't look short of energy as they fought valiantly in the first half of the innings.
After the hosts won the toss and chose to bat, they got off to a steady start. However, some brilliant bowling by the duo of Joshua Little (3/32) and Craig Young (3/34) put Ireland on top. A fighting 49-run knock by Timm van der Gugten guided Netherlands to a total of 195 in 50 overs to give them an outside chance in the game. While it was a good half of cricket, there was one moment that stood out which left everyone in shock.
Is it one of the most comical run-outs in cricket?
It was the 33rd over of the game with the score of Netherlands reading 102/6. With a new player on the other end, all the responsibility was on the shoulders of Saqib Zulfiqar who was batting on 23. Barry McCarthy bowled a good-length delivery which was nudged on the offside by Zulfiqar for an easy single. As he jogged down the other end, Andy McBrine attacked the ball and threw it directly at the stumps at non-striker's end.
Also Read | Netherlands v Ireland ODI Series 2021 Live Scorecard
While it looked like the Netherlands batsman had reached the crease, the replays absolutely left everyone in surprise. Zulfiqar had notably took his eyes off the ball and was casually running and while he had crossed the crease, his bat was still in the air. "The bat is not grounded, we need to give the batsman out," said the TV umpire as Zulfiqar made a long walk back to the pavilion in embarrassment.
Watch the video here:
While the Netherlands' dug-out understandably looking disappointed with the batsman's effort, the Ireland players certainly enjoyed the moment.