Jamshed's 'Groundhog Day' moment
Nasir Jamshed may have recurring nightmares of his efforts to try and pull the ball, especially after he was dismissed in almost identical fashion in both the ODIs. On Friday, Jamshed's eyes lit up when Morne Morkel banged the ball in short but he did not get behind the line and top-edged instead to Lonwabo Tsotsobe at fine-leg. On Wednesday, in the first match, Jamshed had done the same thing against the same bowler and the catch was taken in the short-leg region.
The mix-up
Just when it seemed Pakistan could not find any new ways to get themselves out, they did. Shahid Afridi did not realise Sohail Tanvir had beaten the fielder at cover and was surprised see his partner had run all the way to his end of the crease. Afridi hadn't moved and had to send Tanvir back but with the full length of the pitch to cover, it was obvious, he'd be running back to the changeroom.
Accidental, albeit short-lived, relief
In three international innings before this game, Colin Ingram had not scored a single run and his horror form in ODIs would have extended if not for Shahid Afridi's wayward fielding. Ingram flicked the ball Afridi's way at midwicket and instead of simply picking it up, he flung it at the non-striker's end where there was no back-up and the ball raced along for four.
The non-wicket
AB de Villiers should have been out for 6 off the first ball of the 18th over. He reverse-swept Saeed Ajmal and the ball struck the front pad. Ajmal appealed, Umar Akmal appealed and even Misbah-ul-Haq in the covers had his arms in the air, begging. Steve Davis shook his head, the Pakistan players shook theirs in disbelief and the replays showed de Villiers was plumb as it gets. The ball would have gone on to hit middle and off stump.
Faf fights the clock
Faf du Plessis' battle against the Pakistan spinners came to an end when he was given out lbw off Shahid Afridi's first ball. Du Plessis, who had not scored a half-century in 10 innings before this game, wanted to review the call but his mid-pitch meeting with AB de Villiers took too long. The umpires informed him that the 10 seconds allotted to ask for a review were up. As it turned out, the decision was for the best - replays showed du Plessis was out and had he called for the DRS, he would have wasted the only review.
The spectators' props
Halloween was last night but the crowd at Dubai International Stadium decided to carry on the celebrations during the match. They brought an assortment of stuffed toys, ranging from the traditional teddy bear to a snake, a tiger and even Minnie Mouse to watch the game. Some of their furry friends even got their own seats while others had to spend the time being waved around. There were also those supporters who chose to dress themselves up rather than bring an accompaniment and there were a few knights in the audience as well.