World Cup 2019 | ICC defends revised target in India-Pakistan match

After all the hype prior to the big game, the India-Pakistan match fizzled out in a tame fashion. Chasing India’s 337, Pakistan were reeling at 166 for 6 in 35th over when rain stopped play. At that stage, they were 86 runs behind the par score on D/L method. After umpires decided to resume play later, with a revised target of 302 in 40 overs, Pakistan went on to lose the match by 89 runs. However, many pundits slammed the ICC by calling it a “farcical” decision to resume play. 

"Cricket is prone to farce - this is up there, this is a top five moment," Jonathan Agnew of the BBC said, reported AFP. 

His co-commentator on the channel, and former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, also raised eyebrows against the decision. 

"If you're at home and you are trying to explain this to children just say that sometimes grown-ups do things that don't make sense," he said.

The decision left Pakistan with a bigger loss, leaving them only above Afghanistan on the points table. However, an ICC spokesperson defended the decision. Speaking to AFP, he said that with net run-rate a potential key factor in deciding the top four spots for the semifinals, it would have been wrong to deny Pakistan the chance to improve their run-rate by ending the game any earlier. 

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