Not a long ago, the Big Bash League witnessed so many umpiring howlers during the passage of play. The silly blunders questioned the standards of umpiring in modern-day cricket. Earlier, Sydney Thunder batsman Usman Khawaja got a massive inside edge off Andrew Tye’s bowling.
The Australian international didn’t walk off the field. Even the umpire Simon Lightbody was convinced that Khawaja’s grounded his bat and which is why he thought there was no inside edge.
But the TV replays showed that Khawaja was clearly out in the first place. He survived a massive inside edge and played against the spirit of the cricket. With no DRS technology, umpires have become helpless in most circumstances and have come under fire for their decisions.
During the ongoing 2nd Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan in Christchurch, on-field umpire Chris Brown made the headlines for a hilarious reason. The umpire had plenty of confusion in mind when he made an early call thinking that it was out but reversed his decision instantly.
What happened?
During the 5th ball of the 81st over, an interesting incident happened which went viral on social media. Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a superb delivery in an attempt to outsmart Henry Nicholls who was batting on 86 (8 fours).
Shaheen Afridi successfully managed to deceive Nicholls with good delivery and the latter got a massive inside edge and then ended up giving the ball straight into the hands of Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Unfortunately, Rizwan made a complete mess of it behind the stumps as he dropped a regulation catch. But as soon as Nicholls got an edge, the umpire was convinced that the wicketkeeper has carried and then made an early call by raising his finger saying that it was ‘out’.
But then seconds later he realized that Rizwan dropped the catch. The umpire instantly reversed his decision. The entire incident was hilarious and even the commentators couldn’t control their laughter after watching the whole scene.
Watch the video below:
New Zealand in driver’s seat
After taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series, New Zealand carried their domination in the second Test match at Hagley Oval. The Kiwis bundled out the visitors for 297 on Day 1.
Kane Williamson-led team batted extremely well in the first innings. They ended Day 2 with 286/3 in 85 overs. The No.1 ranked Test batsman who scored a century in the first Test continued his Midas touch in the second Test as well.
Kane followed it up with yet another century as he remained unbeaten on 112* with the help of 16 fours. On the other hand, Henry Nicholls supported his captain by adding a 215-run stand for the fourth wicket.
With plenty of wickets in hand and set batsmen at the crease, they are certain to post a colossal total when they resume play on the next day. The hosts are the favorites to win the second Test.
