ODI World Cup 2023: Umpiring mistakes come to light as Pakistan keeps improving after a shaky start

Following its fall, Pakistan road to rebound was complicated by two umpiring errors. Only five deliveries were bowled in the 14th over, but the TV umpire, Rod Tucker, was not called upon because both umpires, Adrian Holdstock and Chris Brown, felt six deliveries had been bowled.

After eight overs, Shakeel and Rizwan detected an extra fielder for the Netherlands outside the circle, which led to another error. Thankfully, the umpires caught their error right away this time, and no ball was signaled. The game became more exciting when the next free hit was hammered for a huge six.

The Netherlands made a fairytale start by winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against Pakistan in their eagerly anticipated World Cup comeback after an absence of more than ten years. They quickly reduced Pakistan to a precarious 38-3 within the first 10 overs, showing that their decision had paid off handsomely. It appeared like the Dutch were winning since the top three Pakistani batters were all inside the pavilion.

Cricket, though, is a sport of changing fortunes, and Pakistan made an incredible comeback.

The leadership of Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel stabilized the situation and gradually reclaimed authority for their team. Pakistan had amassed 158-3 by the end of the 28th over, with both of its middle-order batsmen scoring half century in rapid succession.

What does the law say about these gaming mishaps?

The odd incident that occurred during the 14th over took place in the midst of the action. The umpires’ error in counting the number of legal balls bowled went overlooked because the players’ attention was already on the 15th over. Additionally, Rod Tucker, the TV umpire, refrained from getting involved. Unambiguously, according to Law 17.5, “If the umpire miscounts the number of valid balls, the over as counted by the umpire shall stand.” There is an end to the discussion.

This year’s World Cup has seen similar counting mistakes happen before. India received a seven-ball over in February during a Pakistan-India women’s T20 World Cup match; the extra delivery resulted in a boundary.