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Nepal wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh has been named the recipient of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2022 for his decision not to run out Andy McBrine after the Irish star tripped while attempting a run, ICC announced on Thursday.
Aasif thus became the first player from Nepal to win the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award. On February 14, 2022, in Oman, the sixth game of the Quadrangular series pitted Nepal and Ireland against one another. Ireland was given the opportunity to bat first, but Nepal controlled the scoring rate by consistently taking wickets. At 113/8 after 18 overs, Ireland needed a late batting surge to secure a respectable score. The 19th over was to be bowled by Kamal Singh Airee. Mark Adair attempted a big heave over the leg side off the third ball, but the ball struck his leg and fell to the leg side. The Irish batter slipped and fell halfway across the field as a result of the bowler's attempt to recover the ball and connect with non-striker Andy McBrine. When Airee rapidly reached the ball and delivered it to wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh, McBrine stood back up but was a good distance from his crease. Aasif made the decision to leave the bails in place, a decision that was applauded by the whole cricket community. Ireland ended up posting 127 and Nepal fell 17 runs short as they were bowled out for 111. For the gesture, Aasif Sheikh bagged the Spirit of Cricket Award. This spirit is described in the preamble to the laws of cricket: "Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its laws but also within the spirit of the game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself." (ANI)
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