Don’t want to get fined: Dhoni takes roundabout dig at umpires

DUBAI: “I don’t want to be fined,” said Mahendra Singh Dhoni as umpiring howlers became as much a talking point as Afghanistan’s dogged resilience in the exciting tie between the two sides in what was an inconsequential Asia Cup match here.

Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were given leg before by the on-field umpires — Gregory Brathwaite of West Indies and Anisur Rahaman of Bangladesh — even though TV replays clearly indicated that the ball was missing the stumps in both the cases.

Dhoni was dismissed by part-time off-spinner Javed Ahmadi and the delivery seemed to have gone over stumps while Karthik’s dismissal of Mohammed Nabi was bigger blunder as the ball missed the leg stump by a couple of feet.

Kedar Jadhav’s run-out was also a case of bad luck as his bat got stuck near the crease while he was dragging it in.

India were set a target of 253 and the match ended in a tie after the team was bowled out for 252.

“There were a couple of run-outs, and a few things we can’t talk about because I don’t want to get fined for it,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation, his irritation quote palpable.

Any public criticism of umpiring decisions invites sanctions from the ICC and Dhoni chose his words very carefully.

However, the stand-in captain was magnanimous in his praise for Afghanistan.

“Their (Afghanistan’s) cricket has improved a lot. The way they have continued from the start of the Asia Cup, it is commendable and we have enjoyed their cricket. It is one country that has risen through the ranks very well,” Dhoni said.

Dhoni felt that Afghanistan excelled in all departments of the game.