Even though Australia were off to a nightmarish start in their 312 run chase against South Africa, they did have a couple of contentious decisions going against them during their ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. First the dismissal of Steven Smith raised eyebrows as the ball to the naked eye seemed to drifting down the leg side but a DRS referral adjudged it out, much to the disappointment of Smith and Australian fans. While DRS has given some of these decisions in the past, what was even more shocking was the decision made by the third umpire for the dismissal of Marcus Stoinis.
On the second ball of the 18th over, a ball which was going down leg seemed to have taken something off Stoinis' body on the way to the wicketkeeper. While the on-field umpire gave it not out, the the Proteas decided to review the decision. Even though the replays seemed to suggest that the ball hit the batters glove which was off the handle at the point of contact, the third umpire deemed it out, which left Stoinis in utter disappointment. Pictures and video of the same has gone viral on social media.
Take a look at it here:
Notably, the common understanding of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) caught out rule is that a batter cannot be given out if a ball bounces off the glove which wasn't holding the bat. However, a clarification or the interpretation of the umpire in this particular incident hasn't yet come. The fall of Stoinis reduced Australia to 70/6 in 17.2 Overs, chasing 312 for victory. Australia had succumbed to a defeat in their World Cup opener against India while South Africa had beaten Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament.