Bangladesh faced South Africa in a tense encounter at the T20 World Cup on Monday. The Tigers, despite restricting the Proteas to a modest 113 runs, fell short by a mere four runs in their chase. While the match had several talking points, a particular umpiring decision sparked debate among cricket legends. When Mahmudullah was batting, a delivery deflected off his pads and raced to the boundary.

South Africa appealed for LBW, which was initially given out. Bangladesh reviewed, and the decision was overturned in their favor. Here’s the twist: since the batsman was initially declared out (even though wrongly), the four runs scored weren’t added to Bangladesh’s total. This turned out to be crucial, as the match ended with Bangladesh just four runs short.

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer took to social media to highlight this unfortunate instance. He pointed out the irony of Bangladesh potentially losing due to these missing runs. Even Pakistani fast bowling legend Waqar Younis chimed in, underlining the same point.

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Wasim Jaffer wrote, “Mahmudullah was wrongly given out LBW, the ball went for four leg byes. The decision was reversed on DRS. Bangladesh didn’t get the 4 runs as ball is dead once batter given out, even if wrongly. And SA ended up winning the game by 4 runs. Feel for Bangladesh fans. #SAvBAN #T20WC”.

Mahmudullah was wrongly given out LBW, the ball went for four leg byes. The decision was reversed on DRS. Bangladesh didn’t get the 4 runs as ball is dead once batter given out, even if wrongly. And SA ended up winning the game by 4 runs. Feel for Bangladesh fans. #SAvBAN #T20WC

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) June 10, 2024

Even former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis came forward to highlight the same on X.

Controversial dead ball law on umpire’s LBW decision needs reviewing. Cost Bangladesh a low scoring thriller against the Proteas. @ICC #BDvSA @cricketworldcup

— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) June 10, 2024

Bangladesh entered the tournament after a disappointing series loss to the USA. Despite being considered underdogs, they started the World Cup with a bang, defeating Sri Lanka convincingly. Though they couldn’t replicate that success against South Africa, their qualification for the Super 8s is still within reach with matches against Netherlands and Nepal remaining.

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Najmul Shanto, a Bangladesh batsman, addressed the team’s performance in the post-match presentation. He acknowledged their struggle to secure wickets in the initial overs and praised young bowler Tanzim Hasan for his impactful performance. He also spoke about the importance of leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, a player Bangladesh has been looking for for over a decade. Shanto expressed hope that Hossain can continue his good form and thanked the Bangladeshi supporters for their unwavering backing.