PCB faces criticism for poor floodlight quality after Rachin Ravindra suffers a frightening injury during the first ODI at Gaddafi Stadium.
New Delhi: New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra sustained an unfortunate injury during the opening match of the tri-series against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The incident took place in the 38th over when Khushdil Shah struck a powerful shot towards Ravindra at deep backward square leg. As Ravindra positioned himself for the catch, he lost sight of the ball due to the lights, and it struck him in the face. Ravindra immediately collapsed, with blood streaming from his face following the impact.
Following the incident, fans criticized the PCB for the poor quality of lights, which they believed contributed to the unfortunate injury.
Get well soon, Rachin Ravindra
– Scary scenes at Lahore for all cricket fans. pic.twitter.com/uERdaUuWHb
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 8, 2025
PCB should improve the Quality of light in the Ground.
Rachin Ravindra misjudges the ball under bad lights and takes a brutal hit near the eye.
Hope he Recover soon….।।।#PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/OALHEyVKm1— राहुल सिंह शेखावत (@RajputRahulRR) February 8, 2025
PCB should improve the Quality of light in the Ground.
Rachin Ravindra misjudges the ball under bad lights and takes a brutal hit near the eye.
Hope he Recover soon…. #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/NT5GvqW8SI— M. W. A. (@mwa1394) February 8, 2025
Rachin Ravindra is a far better fielder than the whole team of Pakistan, still can’t see the ball while catching??
Poor lights of Gaddafi Stadium #INDvsENG #ChampionsTrophy2025 #SLvAUS #BabarAzam #Gaddafistadium #PAKvsNZ #NZvsPAK #3Nations1Trophy pic.twitter.com/AF6iyPRThE
— Aaliya (@Aaliyaarehman) February 8, 2025
In the match, New Zealand triumphed over Pakistan by 78 runs. The visitors posted a formidable total of 330/6, with Daryl Mitchell contributing 81 runs and Glenn Phillips remaining unbeaten on 106*. For Pakistan, Fakhar Zaman played a valiant knock of 84 runs, but the rest of the batting line-up faltered as the hosts were bowled out for 252.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan expressed disappointment over the lack of contributions from his batters and stressed the need for more maturity with the bat. Rizwan also provided an update on Haris Rauf’s injury, reassuring that it was not serious. Rauf had bowled just 6.2 overs before leaving the field and did not return to bat, causing concern among fans about the extent of his injury.
“When we lose, it always feels difficult. When we were bowling, the wicket seemed challenging. The way Phillips batted was outstanding. Going forward, we need to focus on improving our fielding. If we play an all-rounder, we can’t expect him to bowl ten overs every time. There’s no confirmation yet, but it’s not a serious injury. As a batting unit, we need to analyze the situation better. We need to build strong partnerships, especially when wickets are falling,” said Rizwan.
