Sanjay Bangar believes Australia player Marcus Stoinis was erroneously given out in the World Cup 2023 clash between Australia and South Africa. The Proteas set the Aussies a 312-run target in Lucknow on Thursday, October 12. Australia were then bowled out for 177, with Stoinis and Steve Smith given out slightly controversially, to lose the game by 134 runs as well.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar said: “If we talk about Stoinis, I feel it was a debatable decision by the third umpire because when the third umpire had all the footage to see and he had time, he erred there. He (third umpire) said that he feels the glove was no longer on the handle but it was in contact with the top hand. We didn’t feel that the bottom hand was in contact with the top hand anywhere. That is why, he would have remained not out for sure if the correct decision was given.”

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The third umpire, however, ruled Stoinis out based on one frame where the two gloves seemed to be in contact as well. However, another angle clearly showed that the two gloves were far apart when the ball hit the bottom hand which was not in contact with the bat as well, but the umpire seemed to have not watched that. On the other hand, Sanjay Bangar also added that Steve Smith’s dismissal cannot be attributed to manual error as well.

“Steve Smith’s dismissal was totally about the technology because it was regarding the ball tracker. Steve Smith is a batter who covers his stumps while playing,” Sanjay Bangar concluded. “If a normal batter was playing while taking the leg-stump guard, you think the ball might have missed down the leg side if he gets hit on the front leg. However, Steve Smith is a batter who when he gets hit on the pads, he always becomes an lbw candidate.”