Pakistan have lashed out at the behaviour of Blackcaps batsman Ross Taylor during the opening match of the one-day international (ODI) at Abu Dhabi overnight.
New Zealand won the match by 47 runs, a performance highlighted by Trent Boult's bowling hat-trick and a 130-run batting partnership between Taylor and wicketkeeper Tom Latham.
But during his knock of 80, Taylor seemed to protest the bowling action of spin bowler Mohammad Hafeez, imitating his alleged 'chucking' action towards the umpire after one delivery.
Taylor's accusation drew an irate reaction from Pakistan wicketkeeper and captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who had to be restrained during a discussion with match officials.
PakPassion fan website is reporting that Pakistan management has filed an official protest over Taylor's claims, although New Zealand Cricket has had no notification of that.
At the post-match media conference, conducted in his native tongue, Sarfaraz Ahmed is quoted as saying: "Ross Taylor's action was wrong, it's not his job to do that.
"The way he motioned the action on TV was disgraceful. I don't think that's his job - his job is to bat.
"It's better if he focuses on his batting.
"The way they reacted two or three times was completely wrong. They are professional cricketers and they should take care of such things.
"If there is a problem, they shouldn't make signals on the TV screen - they can speak to the umpires."
Sarfraz Ahmed defended his bowler's action, claiming the Blackcaps were trying to make something out of nothing.
But Mohammad Hafeez has history in this regard - he's been banned from international cricket and reinstated several times since 2014.
Notably, the first incident came against New Zealand in an Abu Dhabi test match in November 2014.
"There is no problem with Hafeez bhai's action," insisted Sarfraz Ahmed. "His action is completely clear and I think they were trying to create an issue for no reason."
Significantly perhaps, Taylor top-scored for the winning Blackcaps, but missed out on the 'Batsman of the Match' prize awarded by the Pakistan hosts. That went to Latham and his 68 runs instead.
The second match of the ODI series is scheduled for Friday/Saturday (NZT).
Newshub.
