[WATCH] Usama Mir drops a sitter to hand David Warner a major reprieve in AUS vs PAK 2023 ODI World Cup clashÂ
Pakistani leg-spinner Usama Mir dropped a regulation chance at mid-on during his side's ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup clash against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
The Men in Green have been all over the place after winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Babar Azam opted to take a review off the very first ball of the innings following Shaheen Afridi's insistence. However, the entire endeavour proved to be a disaster as the LBW review was shot down due to a massive inside edge.
Australian openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh grew into the contest while Afridi and Pakistan were desperate for an opening breakthrough. They had a golden opportunity in the fifth over after Warner failed to connect a short of a length delivery bowled by Afridi.
The ball went towards the direction of mid-on fielder, where Usama completely misjudged the trajectory, leading to the ball passing through the gap between his hands and body.
Have a look at the dropped chance right here:
Usama Mir was included in the playing XI at the expense of the out-of-form Shadab Khan. The former is yet to come into the attack, but will have a huge role to play, considering the short boundaries at the venue.
Usama Mir's dropped chance to give David Warner a second life may prove to be costly
David Warner had scored 10 runs when he was dropped, with the scoreboard reading 22-0 after 4.3 overs. Since the dropped catch, Australia have cranked up their scoring rate, and as of writing, they are placed at 237-0 after six overs.
Dropped catches by Pakistan against Australia in the World Cups arguably go hand in hand. Across the last two editions, the Men in Green have dropped relatively simple catches against Australia, which have proved to be game changing.
In the 2015 ODI World Cup quarterfinal, Rahat Ali dropped a simple chance at the fine leg boundary. The wicket would have turned the contest around completely as Australia were struggling to cope with Wahab Riaz's searing spell. Even in the 2019 edition, Asif Ali dropped two simple chances in the contest which Australia went onto win.
Will the dropped catch by Usama Mir prove to be costly? Let us know what you think.