Sri Lankan captain Wanindu Hasaranga strongly criticized umpire Lyndon Hannibal for failing to call an obvious no-ball in the final over of the intense third T20I against Afghanistan in Dambulla on February 22.
The incident occurred in the fourth ball of the last over, as Sri Lanka required 11 runs off three deliveries for a series whitewash. Pacer Wafadar Momand bowled a beamer that moved across the batsman Kamindu Mendis, who attempted a swing and missed. Mendis promptly looked to the square-leg umpire Hannibal for a potential no-ball, but the umpire did not make the call.
The decision not to call the no-ball had significant consequences, leading to the hosts experiencing a three-run loss in the end. During the post-match conference, when questioned about the incident, Hasaranga was candid and stated:
“That kind of thing shouldn’t happen in an international match. If it had been close [to waist height], that’s not a problem. But a ball that’s going so high… it would have hit the batsman’s head if it had gone a little higher.”
”If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”
Even though the umpire considered it a fair delivery, Mendis requested a review of the no-ball. However, the existing ICC playing conditions prohibit player reviews for umpire decisions that don’t pertain to potential dismissals.
“If the third umpire can review the front-foot no-ball, they should also review this type of no-ball”- Wanindu Hasaranga
Wanindu Hasaranga expressed dissatisfaction with the Review system, highlighting that the third umpire should have the capability to review all forms of no-balls, not just those related to the front foot.
Despite the incident potentially impacting Sri Lanka’s chances of winning the match, they had already secured the series with victories in the initial two T20Is of the three-match series.
“There was a situation where you could review those calls before, but the ICC has got rid of that. Our batsmen tried to review that. If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well.”
”There’s no reason why they can’t. They didn’t do even that, so I’m not sure what was going on in his (the square-leg umpire’s) mind at the time,” said Hasaranga.
The controversial decision overshadowed a thrilling match that concluded a hard-fought series. Fueled by Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outstanding 43-ball 70, Afghanistan posted an imposing total of 209/5 in 20 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka put up a spirited effort with half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis but fell short by three runs.
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