A massive controversy erupted in the India A vs Pakistan Shaheens T20 match of the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025. After Nehal Wadhera and Naman Dhir seemed to take a clean catch near the boundary to dismiss opener Maaz Sadaqat, who went on to earn the Player of the Match award.
The on-field umpire gave it out. But, the third umpire checked for a long time and ruled it not clean. Players argued in confusion. What made things worse was that Pakistan were not even given a six. Everyone was left unsure about the decision. Morshed Ali Khan from Bangladesh is the TV umpire who ruled out the decision.
There was another controversy in the match. Earlier, Ashutosh Sharma was given LBW. The Indian batter looked shocked as, to the naked eye, the ball appeared to be going way over the stumps.
“How on earth is Ashutosh Sharma given out LBW? This is the umpiring standard of ACC,” posted a social media user.
“What is the umpire up to? A shocker of a decision, to say the least. Ashutosh Sharma is livid,” wrote another.
Maaz Sadaqat Not Out: Social media reaction
The controversy involving Maaz Sadaqat erupted on social media like wildfire.
“How is Maaz Sadaqat not out? Is there any change in boundary catch rules?” asked one user.
“Wasn’t Maaz Sadaqat clearly out here? And 3rd umpire gave this not out, crazy umpiring in Emerging Asia Cup, Indian players are unhappy with this,” observed another.
Another user wrote, “What just happened in Pakistan A Vs India A match. Maaz Sadqat is not out lmao.”
New rule gave Maaz Sadaqat not out
The decision to give Maaz Sadaqat not out was possible because of new MCC boundary catch rules. The umpire judged that Wadhera released the ball for the relay while his momentum was carrying him over the boundary, which meant the catch was not clean.
Wadhera’s momentum was taking him over the boundary when he took the initial catch and threw the ball to Dhir. According to the new rules, a fielder cannot be in contact with the ground beyond the rope while having control of the ball.
Pakistan enter semifinal
Pakistan A defeated India A by 8 wickets in 13.2 overs. The Men in Green became the first team to reach the semifinals of the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025.
Chasing 137, Pakistan A dominated from the start. Maaz Sadaqat smashed an unbeaten 79 and guided his team home.
India A briefly fought back with two wickets, but the target was too small to defend.
Earlier, India A were bowled out for only 136 after a shocking middle-order collapse. The Men in Blue started strongly with Vaibhav Suryavanshi (45) and Naman Dhir (35). However, they lost 7 wickets for just 43 runs.
(This is a developing story. Check back for more details.)