Umpires are equipped with some of the best technological tools like snickometer and ball-tracking technology to assess a DRS review but they do commit errors despite that. One such instance took place during a T20 World Cup 2022 match between Netherlands and Namibia as the third umpire missed to spot an inside edge.
After making waves in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 by thumping Sri Lanka in their first game, Namibia has faltered in the powerplay against the Netherlands. They were poised at 33/3 by the end of six overs and the opposition was on top in the initial phase. Netherland’s bowlers did a commendable job wrapping up the top order early in the innings but the third umpire made headlines with his blunder despite having assistance from technology.
ALSO READ: Anushka Sharma Shoots For Chakda Express At The Eden Gardens
Paul van Meekeren was bowling the sixth over for the Netherlands and he had already dismissed Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton with a delivery going away. On the last ball of the over, Meekeren bowled a fiery full-length delivery to Stephan Baard and the batter tried to dig it out. It looked like the ball had hit the pads directly without troubling the willow and the umpire raised his finger straightaway.
However, the batter took the DRS which led to some confusion on the ground. As the decision went upstairs, the third umpire first checked the inside edge with snicko and it showed a clear spike as the ball passed the bat. The umpire, however, made a massive error failing to spot it despite the Snicko showing conclusive proof. He then opted for ball tracking and seemed to have made up his mind to rule the decision in favor of the fielding team.
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly reacts after Roger Binny replaces him as new BCCI president
Nevertheless, he checked for the inside edge of the bat once again and as snicko showed a spike as the ball crossed the willow, he eventually corrected his mistake admitting to having missed the deflection earlier. Twitter took note of the incident and expressed its reaction to the umpiring error that would have put Namibia in deep trouble.
Here is the video of the incident:
https://twitter.com/minibus2022/status/1582231814193573888?s=20&t=GNGAEkFo1eOvii5Jpd4Kqw
Here is how the fans reacted:
Realized his mistake
— Abhishek Pandey (@abhishekp100) October 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/Shivpal_Jaipur/status/1582228979494232065?s=20&t=olKgduuFeP8aOC8b6axwxw
ICC not having enough money to have hotspot technolgy
— Aniruddha Nayak (@Mesmerized543) October 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/igshady04/status/1582227052316356609?s=20&t=HLLM9qG0P14yEcyIsbGksw
Its not out , Dont hurry
— Jitesh (@Jiteshjustcool) October 18, 2022
I don't know.
Umpire is kinda blind.— ENTHUSIAST 07451817 (@JigaR94663) October 18, 2022
Bat pe hi laga hai ball
— Tapan Nath (@Tapa_n18) October 18, 2022
Left leg is out of the question and obviously ball has inside edge
— Sandeep Bhardwaj (@sandybhardwaj28) October 18, 2022
Right decision made. 🙏 #NAMvsNED #T20WorldCup https://t.co/jLFT7H5nyw
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 18, 2022
