AB De Villiers points out Grey Area in the Rule book after PAK vs NZ test early Called-off

An exciting conclusion to the second and final Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Karachi's National Stadium saw the game conclude with three overs remaining due to insufficient lighting.

Pakistan, attempting to reach a target of 319, was at 304/9 after tailenders Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed saw off 21 balls in Karachi's waning light. The low lighting compelled the on-field umpires, Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar, to call the game off just as both sides were close to winning the series.

Former South African captain AB de Villiers questioned the use of the poor light rule on Twitter after the game finished in a tie. He said it is unfair for teams to be limited to bowling spin, pointing out a "grey area" in the rulebook.

"Another little grey area in the rule book imo. If the fielding team is told to bowl spin because of bad light and they take the option, they should be forced to finish the overs with spin until the Umps call it off, cause they can bring seam on at any time to finish the match," de Villiers tweeted.

"If the batting team manages to get it down to 5 or so runs required, the fielding team can just opt to bring on a seamer. Not fair imo," he wrote in another tweet.

Notably, before the umpires stopped play owing to poor lighting, Pakistan needed 15 runs to win, whereas New Zealand just needed one more wicket.

With a courageous 118, Sarfaraz Ahmed led the way for the hosts. Spinner Michael Bracewell was the standout bowler for New Zealand, taking 4/75. The first Test also played at Karachi, finished in a tie; thus, both teams were awarded the trophy.

The three matches ODI series will begin on Monday, 9th January 2023 - 13th January 2023. All three ODIs will be played in National Stadium, Karachi.