The Australian team was well on the verge of winning track to win their fourth consecutive T20I at home on Sunday in Sydney but for rains. The hosts won the toss in the first match of the three-match series against Pakistan in Sydney and sent the visitors to bat and restricted them to 107 for 5 in 15 overs. They were then conveniently chasing the target with 41 without loss in just 3.1 overs when the game was called off.
As per the rules, the Australian innings needed to see the completion of five overs for the match to be considered a completed one but it was not to be as 11 balls were left to be delivered. Australian skipper Aaron Finch, who was on fire with 37 runs in just 16 balls, was left in frustration and he questioned the decision of having a 20-minute break between innings in the rain-hit match.
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After the same, Finch said, “If you’re cutting overs off the game and you still have a 20-minute break, it doesn’t make much sense to me. When you lose a few overs and then you still have a 20-minute break… I thought that was really interesting. But it’s part of the rules and you can’t do much about it.”
Javagal Srinath, the ICC match referee who officiated in the match, could apply Clause 11.4.2 of the playing conditions to “reduce the interval” but the former India pacer chose against doing it.
The clause specifies: “… following a lengthy delay or interruption prior to the completion of the innings of the team batting first, the Match Referee may, at his discretion, reduce the interval between innings from 20 minutes to not less than 10 minutes”.
Australia needed 39 runs at the end of five overs to win the match and take 1-0 lead and were definite winners if they went on to block all the remaining 11 deliveries that were mandatory to complete the innings. Australia gloveman Alex Carey later said that the hosts had asked the match officials for the duration of the mid-innings interval and were told that the standard 20-minute break would follow.
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Carey though considered it a part of the game that they came so close to winning it but yet couldn’t have it. The second T20I is scheduled to be played in Canberra on Tuesday.
