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After a perfect start to day three of the Boxing Day Test, it was perhaps inevitable something would go awry for Pakistan.
But few could have anticipated the visitors’ bizarre DRS review in Australia’s fifth over at the MCG on Wednesday afternoon.
With David Warner at the crease, left-arm paceman Mohammad Amir appealed for caught behind after sending down a well-placed delivery that beat the opener’s edge.
Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq looked unconvinced but eventually called for the review.
The replay showed Misbah should have trusted his instincts, with the ball missing Warner’s bat by a long way.
It wasn’t immediately obvious who had convinced Misbah to use the review but Pakistan great Waqar Younis believed wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed was the culprit.
“That was nowhere near the bat,” he said in the Nine Network commentary box.
“Even without looking at the slow-motion, you can see there’s a huge gap between the bat and ball. I don’t know what Sarfraz heard. What a waste of a review.”
Warner added to Misbah’s frustration a few balls later, hitting his first boundary of the innings after a shaky start.
Pakistan’s stellar first innings, declaring at 9-443, has left the visitors in the box seat with two-and-a-half days’ play remaining.
But former Australian wicketkeeper and Nine commentator Ian Healy said Misbah would be none too pleased with the review debacle.
“Someone’s just lost a lot of face with Misbah-ul-Haq,” he said.
“Whoever convinced him (to review) is now in the doghouse.”
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