IND vs PAK: In Pakistan’s chase against India in their World Cup match in Colombo, Muneeba Ali was run out under abnormal circumstances, which resulted in a stoppage in play. The run out happened in the fourth over of Pakistan’s innings and left players and spectators confused, as a clarification was sought from the umpires.
Muneeba Ali’s Sudden Dismissal: The Run-Out
In the fourth over of Pakistan’s chase, Muneeba Ali was declared to be out run out, and this delayed the game because there was some question of whether she had really been run out. It all started when Muneeba, who was not attempting a run, was well outside her crease (perhaps in an attempt to play for the swing) when India appealed to lbw from a Kranti Goud delivery.
As Muneeba kept her bat in the ground behind the crease as the lbw appeal was raised, the matter soon became tricky when she slightly lifted her bat from the ground and left the crease. This came as Deepti Sharma released the ball from the slip cordon, striking the stumps and removing the bails.
ICC Playing Conditions and the Row Surrounding Muneeba Ali’s Dismissal
The misunderstanding arose regarding the interpretation of the ICC Playing Condition 30.1.2, which prescribes the rules for the departure of batters from the crease. The condition states that a batter is allowed to lose contact with the ground ahead of the crease and not be dismissed unless they are approaching the crease or diving towards it.
But Muneeba Ali was not diving or running, she was just backing away from her crease, which meant that her bat momentarily being out of the ground could have resulted in her getting out.
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The playing condition states:
“But a batter shall not be deemed to be out of her ground if, on running or diving toward her ground and beyond, and having grounded some part of her person or bat beyond the popping crease, there is subsequent loss of contact between the ground and any part of her person or bat, or between the bat and person.”
Since Muneeba was not running, the rule didn’t come into effect, and her bat being off the ground caused a run-out, which created the confusion among the fielders.
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The Role of the Third Umpire and Contradictory Decisions
The situation became complicated further as inconsistent decisions were shown on the large screen. First, the decision of the third umpire was flashed as “not out,” and even the Indian players had gone back to their respective places. The decision was reversed later to “out,” causing celebrations in the Indian camp and confusion to Muneeba Ali, who approached the on-field umpires to clear their doubts.
It is probable that the third umpire, Kerrin Klaaste, first declared Muneeba as not out after viewing just the initial replay of her grounding the bat. But when she watched the complete replay where Muneeba had briefly lifted her bat Klaaste altered her decision, leading to Muneeba’s dismissal.
Muneeba Ali’s Reaction and Delay in the Game
Upon being distributed, Muneeba Ali started walking off the field, but a burst of activity around the Pakistan dugout made her stop. Her fellow players, including team captain Fatima Sana, seemed to talk to her, motioning her not to leave the field while they tried to get more information from fourth umpire Kim Cotton, who stood between the two team dugouts.
In this delay, the next batter, Sidra Amin, was standing at the boundary but outside the field and also contributing to the delay. After some discussions and orders from the captain, Muneeba Ali came off the field so that Sidra Amin could replace her and take strike. All of this took a few minutes longer than a normal run-out dismissal, resulting in an unforeseen stoppage of play.
Muneeba Ali’s Controversial LBW Decision
Interestingly, Muneeba Ali could have been dismissed lbw on the same delivery if India had unsuccessfully reviewed the initial not out call from the on-field umpire. Nonetheless, with her dismissal, Pakistan were reduced to 6 for 1 after 4 overs in their chase of 248 against India.
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