Watch: Nepal wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh upholds ‘spirit of cricket’, refuses to run-out Ireland batsman

Aasif Sheikh refused to run out Ireland’s Andy McBrine after the latter slipped while trying to steal a single during the ongoing Oman Quadrangular T20 Series clash.

Nepal's Aasif Sheikh (left) refusing to run out Ireland's Andy McBrine.

It is a rare to see ‘Spirit of Cricket’ in the ultra-competitive atmosphere in the world today. Every run and every wicket is crucial but in a special gesture, Nepal wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh won over the netizens on Monday (February 14).

Sheikh refused to run out Ireland’s Andy McBrine after the latter slipped while trying to steal a single during the ongoing Oman Quadrangular T20 Series clash at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Monday. Batting first in the match, the Irish men were struggling at 114/8 in the 19th over, when non-striker McBrine slipped while trying to steal a single.

The bowler Kamal Singh got to the ball quickly and relayed it to the wicketkeeper Sheikh, who refused to run out McBrine because the batsman had slipped after a collision with the bowler and did not have a fair chance of reaching the crease.

Watch Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh refusing to run-out Ireland’s Andy McBrine here…

Spirit of cricket

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The commentator said, “I’ve got goosebumps here in the commentary box because that’s a touching moment. It was accidental, and he could have run him out here, and Aasif Sheikh has said, ‘No, he’s not going to do it because of the spirit of the game’. That’s your nominee for the Spirit of Cricket Award for 2022 for the ICC.”

Ireland eventually went on to post a 127 in the quota of of 20 overs before restricting Nepal to 111 to win the match by 16 runs. Sheikh, in fact, also ended up as the second-highest run-getter for Nepal in the clash – scoring 23 off 22 balls with one six and two fours.

Brief scores: Ireland 127 (George Dockrell 28, Curtis Campher 20; Dipendra Singh Airee 4/21) bt Nepal 111/9 (Dipendra Singh Airee 28, Aasif Sheikh 23; Andy McBrine 2/13, Barry McCarthy 2/16)