"We did think the ball touched the ground" - Babar Azam on Saud Shakeel's controversial dismissal on day four against England

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has shared his inputs on the controversial decision of Saud Shakeel that became the turning point of the second Test against England in Multan. While the 28-year-old felt it was not out, he said they valued the umpire's decision.

Shakeel, batting on 94, looked on course to take Pakistan over the line while chasing 355 on day four of the second Test. A few minutes before tea, the left-handed batter edged a short ball from Mark Wood down the leg-side, where keeper Ollie Pope dived to his right to take the catch.

While it was a touch-and-go decision, third umpire Joel Wilson ruled it out, but fans were at odds with the decision.

The ball that ended Saud Shakeel's fantastic innings.

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Speaking after the game, Babar said, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan:

"It costed us, we did think the ball touched the ground, but as professionals, we accept the decision of the umpires."

Shakeel remained unbeaten on 54 at Stumps on day two and added 80 runs with Mohammad Nawaz as Pakistan inched closer to the target. However, the southpaw's wicket massively tilted the scales towards the tourists. Mark Wood, James Anderson, and Ollie Robinson took the last three wickets to seal the series.

"We were not up to the mark in the first innings" - Babar Azam

Babar, who perished cheaply in the second innings in Multan, lamented their batting unit's failure to carry the momentum and finish the game. He stated:

"Yes, we were not up to the mark in the first innings. We had a couple of soft dismissals. After that, we had a fightback in the bowling, and second innings, we fought well, but unfortunately, we did not finish it. We have a simple plan to carry on the momentum; we had good partnerships between Imam and Saud and then Saud and Nawaz."

"The tail also fought well, but we didn't finish well. We made mistakes in the Test match; we could have won, we didn't finish well against Australia, and now again, we should have finished well."

Hard-fought Test match 🏏

Congratulations to @englandcricket on winning the series.

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It was Pakistan's second consecutive Test series defeat at home, having lost to Australia in March. The two sides will play the third Test in Karachi, starting on December 17th.