Pakistani fans are furious with the third umpire Richard Illingworth for getting him caught behind even as replays did not provide enough evidence to them. But Simon Taufel, considered one of the best umpires to officiate in international games, had a different take on the incident in the PAK vs AUS Melbourne Test.
On Day 4, Pat Cummins bowled a shortish delivery that seemed to miss Rizwan’s arm and pad. Rizwan even showed the umpire the mark left by the passing delivery. While the on-field decision was not out, the third umpire took multiple looks at the footage and finally he reversed the decision and gave Rizwan out.
Illingworth concluded multiple replays with Snicko on and it showed there was a noise.
“For me, conclusive evidence was the ball on top of that wristband attached to the glove, with the spike on Snicko. Very comfortable from where I’m sitting that Richard Illingworth the third umpire had conclusive evidence to overturn that decision,” Simon Taufel told 7Cricket.
But that decision did not sit well with fans. Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket seemed to be the game-changer. As Rizwan departed to make it 219/6, Pakistan collapsed, losing five wickets for 19 runs. And the win helped Australia seal another series at home while extending their winning run to 16 over Pakistan.
However, Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s team director, lashed out at the decision, calling it a curse.
“Technology, I’m in favour of that but of it if giving you the benefit, but if it is bringing some doubt and bringing some curse into the game it should not be acceptable by anyone. We play this beautiful game of cricket on the basics of the game but sometimes the technology brings some decisions which obviously as a human we don’t understand. Hitting the ball into the stumps (on DRS) is always out. Why is there an umpire’s call? I’ve never understood that,” Mohd Hafeez said at the post-match press conference.
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