The Asia Cup Rising Star 2025 match between India A and Pakistan Shaheen turned into a completely one-sided contest, with Pakistan cruising to an eight-wicket win in just 13.2 overs. Despite the result being lopsided, the match stirred up controversy because of several questionable umpiring decisions. The biggest debate erupted around the catch involving Pakistan’s opener Maz Sadaqat, who was declared not out despite what appeared to be a clean dismissal. Sadaqat went on to play the match-winning knock for Pakistan.

Batting first, India A managed only 136 runs. Pakistan began aggressively, led by Maz Sadaqat, who reached his half-century in just 31 balls. He received one early reprieve when Vaibhav Suryavanshi dropped a simple catch. Moments later, in the first ball of the 10th over, another chance came India’s way. Nehal Wadhera took a catch near long-on, close to the boundary, and in an attempt to keep the ball from touching the rope, he threw it to a nearby fielder, who safely completed the catch before stepping outside the field of play.

India A began celebrating the wicket, and a new batsman even walked in. But the on-field umpire halted play, asking for the third umpire’s review. Replays showed that Wadhera had released the ball before touching the boundary cushion and that the second fielder had completed the catch cleanly. From the visuals, it looked like a straightforward dismissal. However, the third umpire shocked everyone by declaring Maz Sadaqat not out. The Indian players surrounded the umpire in disbelief, and the coaching staff could be seen questioning the decision at the sidelines.

The unexpected verdict was the result of a new ICC rule that came into effect in June 2025. As part of updated boundary-catching regulations introduced for the new World Test Championship cycle, a specific clause now governs “relay catches.” Under this revised rule, if a fielder throws the ball to another teammate before stepping beyond the boundary, the original fielder must return to the field of play before the catch is completed. Only then is the catch considered valid. If not, the ball is treated as a boundary.

In this incident, Nehal Wadhera did release the ball in time, but he failed to step back inside the field before the second fielder completed the catch. Since he remained outside the boundary area during completion of the play, the dismissal was invalid under the new law. Technically, the ball should have been signaled as a boundary, but the umpire failed to award the four runs, adding to the confusion. It was evident that neither the Indian nor Pakistani players were fully aware of the updated rule, which ultimately worked in Pakistan’s favour and cost India a crucial breakthrough.