Former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath has shared his opinion on the controversial catch taken by Cameron Green off Shubman Gill during the Day 4 of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final.
Chasing the mammoth target of 444 in the second innings at the Oval, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and his partner Gill provided a solid foundation to the team in the run chase. They both put together 41 in just seven overs.
However, in the first delivery of the 8th over bowled by Scott Boland, Gill was undone by the extra bounce on the Oval pitch as the ball hit the shoulder of his bat when he was lunging forward. The ball then flew to the slip cordon, where Green dived to his left and took a one-handed catch.
The dismissal was referred to the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough, who took his time to review the catch from various angles before ultimately giving the decision in favor of Green.
The decision sparked a debate on social media, with many expressing the view that the catch was not clean and that the ball had touched the grass. Several former cricketers also shared their opinions on the catch.
McGrath during an interaction with PTI commented on the catch, stating that he believed most of those catches are out, and he was happy with the decision. He added that if India had taken the catch, he would have been happy as well. McGrath clarified that he was not speaking from an Australian perspective, indicating that his opinion was based on the merit of the catch itself.
“I think most of those catches are out. We find ways to give it not out which I like to go the other way. So, I was happy with it. And if it was India taking that catch, I would have been happy too. I’m not just saying from an Australian perspective but that’s the way it goes.” McGrath said as quoted by PTI.
