There were two instances of umpiring mistakes during Pakistan‘s batting, where the umpires made errors in counting the number of balls bowled and also allowed an extra fielder outside the circle at a later point in the game. Pakistan’s recovery from their early collapse was affected by two umpiring mistakes.
In the 14th over, only five deliveries were bowled, but both umpires, Adrian Holdstock and Chris Brown, wrongly believed that six balls had been bowled and did not refer to the TV umpire, Rod Tucker. Eight overs later, another error occurred when Shakeel and Rizwan spotted an extra fielder outside the circle for the Netherlands.
Fortunately, this time, the umpires promptly corrected their mistake, and a no-ball was declared. The subsequent free hit was hit for a powerful six, injecting some excitement into the match.
The Netherlands, making a much-anticipated return to the World Cup stage after an absence of over a decade, made a promising start by winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against Pakistan.
Their decision paid off as they swiftly reduced Pakistan to a precarious 38-3 within the first 10 overs, with the top three Pakistani batsmen dismissed. However, cricket’s unpredictable nature came into play as Pakistan staged a remarkable comeback.
Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel took charge, stabilizing the innings and gradually shifting the momentum back in Pakistan’s favor. By the 28th over, Pakistan had reached an impressive 158-3, with both middle-order batsmen reaching half-centuries in quick succession.
What are the regulations regarding such incidents in the sport?
During the ongoing match, a rather unusual incident took place in the 14th over. The umpires made an error in counting the number of legitimate deliveries bowled, but this went unnoticed as players had already shifted their attention to the 15th over.
Additionally, the TV umpire, Rod Tucker, did not see a need to intervene. According to Law 17.5, it is explicitly mentioned that “If the umpire miscounts the number of valid balls, the over, as counted by the umpire, shall stand.” This clarifies the matter.
This is not the first instance of such a counting mistake occurring in this year’s World Cup. In February, during a women’s T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and India, India faced a seven-ball over, with the extra delivery resulting in a boundary.
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