ICC T20 World Cup 2021, West Indies vs South Africa: [Watch] Umpire Aleem Dar ducks for his life... twice!
Umpire Aleem Dar had not one but two nervous moments while officiating the Super 12 clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup between South Africa and the West Indies. At the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, Dar has to take some timely evasive action to ensure that the ball did not ping him.
The incident happened off the second ball of the final over of the first innings bowled by Dwaine Pretorius. West Indian skipper Kieron Pollard clubbed it straight as an arrow down the ground.
Both the bowler and umpire Dar ducked for cover, with the ball headed straight towards the latter. In what was an inspired field placement on the part of South African captain Temba Bavuma though, the ball went into the hands Rassie van der Dussen who was positioned dead straight behind the umpire.
The drama wasn't to end there though - with doubts prevailing over the authenticity of the catch - van der Dussen fired a throw towards the stumps as he saw the batters out of their crease.
Dar was once again in the firing line as he barely gathered himself before having to dodge the ball headed in his direction for the second time in a matter of seconds.
Aleem Dar under attack from all sides here.
Here's a look at how it all unfolded:
Eventually, the decision was referred upstairs and van der Dussen's catch was deemed fine, sending Pollard back for a 20-ball knock of 26 runs. Amidst all the drama, the players as well as Aleem Dar, could afford a sheepish laugh.
West Indies muster 143/8 in their 20 overs
Inserted to bat first having lost the toss, it was slow going for the West Indian batters on a two-paced surface. Save for Evin Lewis who blitzed his way to a 35-ball 56 studded with 6 sixes, none of the other West Indies batters could come to terms with the nature of the surface.
Lendl Simmons, in particular, endured a nightmarish outing, having failed to middle the ball pretty throughout his 35-ball stay at the crease that saw him muster all of 16 runs. Some tight bowling on the part of the South Africans towards the back end of the innings saw them restrict the West Indies to a score of 143/8.
Both the West Indies and South Africa got off to a poor start in the competition with a loss against their name and another defeat here could severely jeopardize their chances of qualifying for the semifinals.