Pakistan player seen fielding near tampered boundary line during 2023 ODI World Cup match against Netherlands

In the second match of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pakistan and the Netherlands played a topsy-turvy game of cricket at Hyderabad. The Netherlands bowled brilliantly in the first inning to restrict Pakistan's batting to a mere 286 in 49 overs. 

The Men in Green's bowling however showcased its brilliance and got the Dutch team out at just 205 runs, thereby winning the match by a huge 81 runs. 

One peculiar moment from the match has been doing the rounds of social media that shows, a Pakistan player fielding at the very edge of the boundary line. Interestingly the boundary rope seems to have been moved behind, making that part of the boundary a little longer. 

It is unknown whether it was done by the player or if it was a result of a previous boundary save. Regardless, the picture soon went viral with some social media users accusing the player of tampering with the boundary rope. It is very likely that it got moved a bit further when a fielder made a slide to stop the ball. 

Here's the moment: 

pic.twitter.com/8cspC5pbv3

— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) October 6, 2023

Pakistan begin their World Cup campaign with a win

The Netherlands were paired against one of the favourites of the tournament, Pakistan in their World Cup opener. The Dutch captain won the toss and elected to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. 

In what was a brilliant bowling display by Netherlands bowlers, the Men in Green were bowled out with one over remaining at a score of 286. Saud Shakeel was the top scorer from the Pakistan side alongside Muhammad Rizwan who both made 68 runs on a wicket that was a little difficult to bat on. 

The Netherlands, hoping to make an upset in the tournament started well with Vikramjit Singh making 52 off 67, but wickets continued to fall from the other end. Bas de Leede played a helping hand of 67 off 68 but could not steer his team to victory as Haris Rauf led the Pakistan bowling unit bowled out the Netherlands team for a mere 205 runs, subjecting the minnow team to a huge 81-run loss.