Pakistan penalised five runs after skipper Babar Azam breaches weird cricket law

Babar Azam breached one of cricket’s strange laws on Friday (June 10) as Pakistan received a penalty of five runs for their skipper’s mishap during the West Indies run-chase in the second ODI of the ongoing three-match series in Multan. 

West Indies were free-handed five runs while they went about trying to overhaul Pakistan’s 275/8 when the home team captain was found by the match officials to have broken a weird law part of the fielding regulations. 

The incident is from the first start of the 29th over in the Calypso Kings’ run-chase. Fielding at square leg, Babar Azam collected a single taken by lower-order batter Alzarri Joseph curiously with a glove on his right hand. 

The spare glove would most probably be of his friend and Pakistan’s designated keeper Mohammad Rizwan. But it was a real headscratcher as to why Babar Azam was wearing it in the moment?

Babar Azam fields with a glove on; faces five-run penalty 

By the looks of things, Babar Azam was just trying to have some fun on the cricket field, with the match nearly under Pakistan’s bag as West Indies stood seven down for 131 at the start of the over bowled by Mohammad Nawaz. 

Hitting the spinner for a single towards the square leg region, Joseph and his batting partner Akeal Hosein, as well as the audiences watching the match live, would’ve been left puzzled by Babar donning the glove in his right hand. 

WATCH: Imam-ul-Haq walks off furiously after miscommunication with best friend Babar Azam results in runout

The Pakistan skipper perhaps didn’t realise in fun and games that he was due to receive a five-run penalty for breaking one of the rarely invoked cricket laws.

According to law 28.1 pertaining to the ‘Protective Equipment, “No fielder other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. In addition, protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the consent of the umpires.”

A rare thing happened tonight. West Indies were awarded 5 penalty runs due to illegal fielding by Pakistan.

Laws of cricket:

28.1 – No fielder other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. #PakvWI pic.twitter.com/WPWf1QeZcP

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 10, 2022

Since the law doesn’t allow any fielder other than the keeper to wear the gloves, Babar’s act was a breach of the regulation and made him liable for a penalty of five runs, which were added to the West Indies’ total. 

Thankfully for Babar, the penalty had no bearing on the result, as Pakistan dominated their way to a 120-run victory and took an unassailable 2-0 series lead.