Former ICC Elite Umpire, Simon Taufel, has shared his clarification on the ‘free-hit’ controversy which rocked the cricketing fraternity during the blockbuster clash between Pakistan and India in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The incident occurred during the final over of the match as Virat Kohli ran three runs despite being bowled on a free-hit. According to the argument of the cricketing fans, the ball should have been considered ‘dead’ as Kohli’s stumps were uprooted and India should have not been awarded three runs.
Simon Taufel, on the other hand, believes that the umpires made the right decision as the International Cricket Council (ICC) rule book states that the batter cannot be bowled out on a free hit and hence the ball should not be considered ‘dead’.
Taufel took to the popular website, Linkedin, to share his thoughts on the incident.
For a free hit, the striker cannot be out bowled and therefore the ball is NOT dead on hitting the stumps – the ball is still in play and all conditions under the Laws for Byes are satisfied.
This was not the only controversial decision by the umpires as they had previously given a questionable ‘no ball’ which resulted in the free hit. Nawaz’s ball was adjudged to be going above Kohli’s waist, although the replay showed it to be marginal. Leg-umpire, Marais Erasmus, gave the delivery as no ball and refused to consult the third umpire on the decision.
The two controversial calls proved to be the turning point as they changed the complexion of the match. At the end of it all, India emerged victorious as they chased down the target of 160 on the last ball of the match.