First innings hero Azhar Ali was taken from the field after copping a Matthew Wade pull shot flush in the head at short leg.
Fielders and the team physio rushed to Azhar as he lay on the ground next to the pitch, but he was able to walk from the field and reports from the Pakistan dressing room indicate he will escape without serious injury.
Azhar ducked as Wade launched into a pull shot off a short ball from spinner Yasir Shah during the second session of day four at the MCG. The shot hit Azhar flush in the top of the helmet and ricocheted to Babar Azam, who caught it on the full.
He was saved by law 32.3 (d) which describes a fair catch. The law states a batsman is out if a fielder catches the ball after it has touched an umpire, another fielder or the other batsman.
However, “it is not a fair catch if at any time after having been struck by the bat and before a catch is completed the ball has touched a protective helmet worn by a fielder”.
The writers of the laws clearly weren’t fans of fielders using helmets, awarding a five-run penalty to the batting team if the ball strikes an unused helmet that is sitting on the ground.
