Mohammad Amir left with egg on face; yet cries foul over ‘controversy’ that ‘would’ve knocked India out’ of World Cup

It happened on the third ball of the 12th over, when Bumrah dished out a short-of-length delivery angling across the left-hander. Hetmyer tried to slog too far across the line, but inside-edged it through to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. Bumrah was very confident with his appeal, and umpire Chris Gaffaney raised his finger without hesitation. However, Hetmyer was not convinced and wanted it checked. UltraEdge vindicated the call, but the batter was still not happy, and neither were those in the Windies dugout.

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Speaking on the Pakistani show Haarna Mana Hai, Amir said he firmly believes Hetmyer was not out, sparking "controversy". He added that, had Hetmyer’s knock lasted a few more deliveries, India would have been knocked out.

"I feel that Hetmyer’s dismissal was controversial. I don’t think he was out. If he had stayed there a little longer and the score had reached 220–230, India would have been knocked out today," he said.

Amir's comment probably stemmed from his semifinal prediction on India backfiring. On a few occasions on the same platform, he had claimed that India were not favourites to reach the semifinal. Yet he remained firm in his view, even though India have qualified, insisting they are not the "hot favourites" to lift the trophy.

Placing his theory "from a cricketing perspective", the senior Pakistan fast bowler pointed to India's fielding errors in the match against the West Indies and a misfiring bowling attack. He even went to the extent of warning that all semifinal opponents play spin far better than the teams India have faced so far in the tournament, adding that he does not believe India can retain the T20 World Cup title.

"Overall, if you look at it from a pure cricketing perspective, India are not playing good cricket. I firmly believe this. Check their fielding; they dropped three or four catches. Except for Bumrah, every bowler is getting smashed. Indian fans who understand cricket will agree with me. Pandya... I told you before that he never plays well against big teams. Varun Chakravarthy also got smacked. And the West Indies do not play spin as well as the teams India have yet to face. I still believe India are not the hot favourites in the tournament," he added.

Whether his prediction will eventually come true remains to be seen, as India now gear up for a semifinal against England at the Wankhede on Thursday. This will be the third consecutive time the two teams face each other in a World Cup semifinal, with one win each in the last two editions.

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