Seems as if Australia has learned from the mistake they made in the 2nd T20I against West Indies when their players including left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson who removed the bails himself, did not appeal for the run-out attempt of Alzarri Joseph who was clearly out but eventually stayed in the crease after Australian players did not appeal and the umpire as a result did not go upstairs to have a check.
In the ongoing series concluding 3rd T20I between the two teams, another incident of this sort occurred but this time the Australian players were quick to appeal.
It unfolded during the 4th ball of the 4th over bowled by Jason Behrendorff when top order batsman Roston Chase wanted to complete a single after hitting the ball towards mid-off.
The ball was quickly picked up by Mitchell Marsh who threw the ball straight into the stumps at the non-striker’s end to make amends, everyone in the Australia team shouted out with all of the strength in their lungs and it also led to mid-on fielder Tim David to laugh.
In the commentary box too, Mark Howard was thrilled by the loud appeal from the fielders which reminded them of the 2nd T20I incident. Actually what had happened was that Alzarri Joseph had called for a run but he fell well short of his ground before Spencer Johnson had run him out.
While a few Australian players started celebrating automatically, the umpire showed no signs of getting to a decision as no one appealed. It created a massive stir on social media and questions were raised about the credibility of the umpire who was just doing his job concerning the rules.
Article 31.7 of the ICC rule book states that “Neither umpire shall give a batter out, even though he/she may be out under the Laws, unless appealed to by a fielder. This shall not debar a batter who is out under any of the Laws from leaving the wicket without an appeal having been made.”
In that regard, the umpire was right in his place and to take no chance at all again, Australia appealed but their timing was not right as Roston Chase entered the crease in time before the ball struck the led stumps.
Watch Australia’s Mistake Amendment Appeal Video
No mistaking whether Australia were appealing for that run-out 😉 #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/P8EM4DOEjn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 13, 2024
Meanwhile, the West Indies are currently aiming to conclude their month-long tour of Australia by claiming a victory today in the 3rd T20I which could be their first win of the white-ball leg. They were whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI series and have already lost the T20 series after the Aussies claimed the first two matches in Brisbane and Adelaide.
And the visitors have done quite well in their initiation towards a win today. After winning the toss, they asked the hosts to bowl first, and following a crumbling start, West Indies have recovered very well through substantial knocks from Roston Chase (37 off 20), Rovman Powell (21 off 14), Shrefane Rutherford (67 off 40) and Andre Russell’s blistering (71 off just 29).
That has helped the Windies set up a target of 221 and now the onus is all upon the bowlers to save the team from suffering another white ball whitewash.