Watch: Javed Miandad argues with the umpire over Akram’s bouncers
Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad was not only known for his classy batting, but also for his volatile temperament. Confrontation is something he seldom avoided whenever presented with an opportunity. In his long and distinguished career he not only scored plenty of runs, but also expressed his feelings on the field in a manner few could dare to.
The 3rd and final Test of the New Zealand v Pakistan series in 1985 witnessed a tense encounter at Carisbrook in Dunedin. The home side, although leading the series 1-0, was in need of a great escape in the final Test. Chasing a Target of 278 in the fourth innings, the Kiwis were 23/4 at one stage as a young Wasim Akram bowled a hostile spell to dislodge the top order.
Though the team recovered well, at 228/8 Pakistan needed just 2 wickets to wrap up the match. The drama unfolded as Jeremy Conney and fast bowler Ewen Chatfield struck a partnership that frustrated the visitors to no end.
In the last over before tea, Akram bowled bouncers Chatfield which forced the umpire to intervene. Javed, the captain of Pakistan, confronted the umpire and asked for an explanation. He indicated that Richard Headley had other New Zealand bowlers had bowled bouncers at his batsmen hence there shouldn’t be any reason to stop his team from returning the favours! He claimed there is no rule that stops Akram from bowling the short ball.
The last ball before tea break saw another bouncer and the umpire gave an official warning for over-use of short-pitched balls even as the players walked off and Javed kept gesturing towards the official rather animatedly. The home side got the required 25 runs in the final session and took the series 2-0 courtesy a brilliant 111* from Conney in the company of Chatfield, who contributed a valiant 21*. Akram finished with figures of 5/72 in a memorable spell of fast bowling.
Watch: Javed Miandad argues with the umpire over Akram’s bouncers
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