'Technology is putting a curse on this beautiful game'

'He (Rizwan) is a very honest person and he said to me he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves.'

Pakistan coach Mohammad Hafeez said technology was "putting a curse" on cricket after seeing Mohammad Rizwan dismissed following a lengthy review in the visitors' 79-run defeat to Australia in the second Test on Friday.

Set an imposing victory target of 317 runs on day four at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rizwan (35) and Agha Salman (50) put together a substantial stand of 57 before Pat Cummins separated the pair to leave Pakistan on 219/6.

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Cummins's delivery glanced Rizwan's glove (wrist band) before carrying through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, but Australia's appeal was initially turned down.

The third umpire then overturned the on-field decision following a review which took several minutes and examined the incident from a number of different angles.

After Rizwan's controversial dismissal, Pakistan lost their last four wickets in quick succession as Australia sealed the win and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-test series.

"We play this beautiful game of cricket on the basics of the game but sometimes the technology brings some decisions which obviously as a human we don't understand...," Hafeez told reporters after the defeat.

"He (Rizwan) is a very honest person and he said to me he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves.

"There should be conclusive evidence to reverse the decision of an umpire... and there was no very conclusive kind of evidence. Technology is basically putting the curse on this beautiful game of cricket."

Pakistan were ahead at several points in the Test match in Melbourne, but the hosts kept pulling themselves back into the contest led by their skipper Pat Cummins, who finished an incredible 2023 with a ten-wicket haul.

"We played better cricket as a team," Hafeez said after the game.

"I'm proud of that. The way the team had the courage to attack this game in the best possible way. If I sum up the game, the Pakistan team played better than the other team in general.

"Our batting intent was better, and while bowling, we were hitting the right areas. Yes, we made some mistakes that cost us the game but as a team I believe that there were a lot of positives, enough to win the game but unfortunately at the end we didn't win the game."

Hafeez admitted that Pakistan made costly errors that eventually cost them the game despite putting up a strong fight.

"This game, we were very close but we couldn't win. We made some mistakes, conceding 52 extras which really hurt us," Hafeez said.

"And then crumbling from 124 for 1 to lose five main batters, that was a crucial moment we couldn't win in the game. And then Australia were 16 for 4, we dropped a couple of catches that should have been taken.

"If we had taken our chances and won those crucial moments, perhaps this match would have ended earlier and we would have won. But this is the way the game goes; if you make a mistake this game can hurt you."

The third and final Test of the series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3.