The biggest umpiring error of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 came during the West Indies 289-run chase against Australia at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Thursday.
On television, it was clearly shown that a massive no-ball from the Australian speedster Mitchell Starc was missed by the on-field umpire Chris Gaffaney. Opener Chris Gayle was dismissed off the next delivery – a delivery that would have been a free hit if the no-ball had been spotted.
The errors continued through the game, which the West Indies lost by 15 runs. Given how Gayle was batting at that point, it might have made a huge difference in the game.
Massive no-ball, the ball that got Gayle out should have been a free-hit. It is understandable when a close no-ball is not given, missing this one is criminal. With third umpire no-ball checks on fall of wickets, on-field umpires aren’t even checking NBs. #Criminal pic.twitter.com/ipOwQgQgiG
— Rehan Ulhaq (@Rehan_ulhaq) June 6, 2019
It was frustrating and sent ripples through the dressing room
“I don’t know if I’ll be fined for saying it but I just think that the umpiring was a bit frustrating,” said Windies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite after the match.
“Obviously three decisions in one over as far as I can remember being dodgy, it was frustrating and sent ripples through the dressing room.
“To lose Chris in a chase of 280, who can probably get 180 of them himself, broke the start that we wanted to have.
“But the umpires do their job, they try to do it to the best of their ability, we as players go out their to do our job as well, so there was no confrontation between the players and the umpires.”
Brathwaite also said the decisions didn’t cost his team the game but still doubled down on his criticism, as he claimed his team were regularly on the end of tough decisions.
“I’d like that for West Indies, we don’t have to use all our reviews and that some of the other teams get a chance to use theirs because every time we get hit on our pad the finger goes up,” Brathwaite added.
“When we hit the opposition on their pad, the finger stays down.
“So we have to use our reviews and it’s always missing and then we have to use our reviews when we’re batting as well and it’s always clipping.
“I’m not a technology person, I don’t know why that happens, I can just say what I have seen happen over the past few years.”
