Bangladesh suffered a 4-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup. But there is a major controversy surrounding it. A wrong decision from the umpire, followed by a reversal from the third umpire, saw 4 runs getting denied from the Asia side. In the end, this 4 runs became extremely crucial as Bangladesh lost the game by just 4 runs.
What happened?
The incident took place in the 17th over of the game. A good ball from Ottneil Naartman saw the ball hitting the pads of Mahmudullah. A full length delivery saw the Bangladeshi batter trying to flick the ball, which hits the front pads and runs off to the boundary for four runs.
The umpire after a brief discussion with the leg umpire decides to give a lbw. Mahmudullah immediately review the decision and the hawkeye showed the ball missing the stumps and going much wide. As a result, the umpire reversed his decision. But 4 runs were not added to Bangladesh.
Why 4 runs were not added?
The reason for 4 runs being not added is relatively simple. However, the the loophole continues to exist in the ICC laws. First, it was a wrong decision by the umpire. Secondly, despite the ball reaching the fence, it is not counted as 4 runs because the ball becomes dead after the umpire’s signalling of out.