Umpire’s call sparks call for change

Experts as well as fans have called for change in ICC's law relating to the ball being dead after the umpire signals out after such an incident proved crucial in Bangladesh's four-run loss to South Africa in a T20 World Cup fixture in New York Tuesday. 

On-field umpire Sam Nogajski was in the thick of things as it was hisdecision to signal Mahmudullah out in the 17th over which sparked the whole incident and seemingly cost Bangladesh the match.

Mahmudullah was given out lbw by Nogajski after the right-handed batter failed to make contact with an in-swinging length ball from Ottneil Baartman. The ball, which clearly looked to be going down the legside without disturbing the stumps, brushed off Mahmadullah's front pad and rolled down to the boundary.

The umpire raised his finger and upon a player review, Ball Tracking revealed that the delivery was indeed missing the stumps. Despite the successful review, Bangladesh were left ruing the four leg-byes which were not added to their tally owing to ICC's ruling on such situations.

As per the ICC law, once the umpire gives a decision, the ball is deemed dead and runs gathered during that phase will not be considered.

If the umpire had not given him out, Bangladesh would have had four leg-byes added to their total.

Former New Zealand pacer and renowned commentator Simon Doull criticised the umpire's lbw decision, brought forth the gravity of the implications the ruling has on games and called for a change.

"Just imagine this happens in the final and let's say India are on the wrong end of that in a final," Doull told Cricbuzz yesterday.

"There's got to be something changed in the way the system works because that was a howler, an absolute howler. It was a poor decision and it was never hitting the stumps and he [the umpire] had just thrown his finger up so quickly like a gunslinger.

"We've got to say that they've made some great decisions, there's been some very good umpiring throughout the tournament but that one wasn't and the result should've been four leg-byes.

"Let's say that happens in the final ball of the T20 World Cup and one team loses on a really poor decision. There's got to be some way of changing this because it is happening more often than not. Every time, I have this question brought up pre-tournament or before an ICC event, they're like we can't do anything about it and it's not going to be significant in the course of a game. Well, it is significant and it will be in the course of a game. It is now costing games and we can't have it."