Kumar Dharmasena does not regret controversial overthrow decision.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 has ended, but the talks after the tournament have yet to cease. The game was, without a doubt, one of the best games in the history of cricket despite the outcome. England may have won because of superior boundary count, but New Zealand should not feel ashamed of losing. Games are often decided in this manner, especially those that go down to the wire. One particular instance in the game that was heavily criticized was the umpire giving six runs due to an overthrow instead of just five.
The incident took place when England needed to score nine runs off of their three remaining balls. Stokes hit the ball to outfield, Martin Guptill fielded the ball and threw it to wicket-keeper Tom Latham. In an attempt to beat the throw, Stokes dove for the crease, resulting in the ball hitting his bat and traveling to the boundary.
The on-field umpires consulted one another then decided to give six runs to England instead of five. According to cricket laws, the batsmen should have crossed each other before the fielder throws the ball to consider it an overthrow error. It was a clear mistake and was called out by former international umpire Simon Taufel.
Kumar Dharmasena, the umpire who made the call, spoke about the controversial call and stated that he had no regrets about it. “It’s easy for people to comment after seeing TV replays. I agree that there was a judgmental error when I see it on TV replays now. But we did not have the luxury of TV replays at the ground and I will never regret the decision I made. Besides, the ICC praised me for the decision I made at that time,” he said.
He also stated that he consulted leg umpire Marais Erasmus before making the call. “There is no provision in the law to refer this to the third umpire as no dismissal was involved. So, I did consult the leg umpire through the communication system which is heard by all other umpires and the match referee… And, while they cannot check TV replays, they all confirmed that the batsmen have completed the run. This is when I made my decision,” he added.
Dharmasena's decision may have been the turnaround for the Brits, but the odds were still heavily in their favor. To find out more about cricket odds, visit Betwala's page.
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