Finals or the Centre of Controversy?
Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in T20 world cup has stirred the storm. Yet another World Cup Final and One more controversy! This time it is around the catch of Suryakumar Yadav taken in the last over near the boundary line. After the catch was taken, there were two groups formed, one who supported the spectacular catch and the second who accused India or the Umpiring authority to neglect the cricketing rules. This T20 world cup has been the cauldron of controversies.Â
The Catch
In the last over South Africa needed 16 runs and Hardik was asked to bowl. Miller was in good touch and it seemed South Africa could sail home with the trophy. Hardik bowled a wide full toss and Miller mistimely hit it. Suryakumar Yadav was positioned at long-off. He jumped to catch the ball and caught it. He threw the ball up in the air, crossed the boundary rope and swiftly got back in and caught the ball again. Miller was given out after referring the catch to the TV umpire whether the catch was clean.
Suryakumar Yadav Catch T20 world cup Drama
This is not the first time any player has taken a catch like this. There are multiple occasions where players have caught the ball, crossed the boundary rope and got back in to catch the ball again. The allegation is that Suryakumar Yadav had touched the boundary line. Some social media posts and photos with the slow motion replays pointed out that his shoe had rubbed the boundary line ( advertisement cushion ) . There are some so called cricket pundits stating that the boundary rope was moved back and Suryakumar Yadav got advantage of it while taking the catch.Â
Reactions and Clarifications
The catch was a decisive one and surely it would be talk of the town. Suryakumar Yadav did clarify in an interview that he did not touch the rope. Former South African Captain and veteran cricketer Shaun Pollock also supported the catch and called it legitimate. He did mention that the ad cushion being displaced could be incidental. The third umpire or TV umpire had called the catch clean and uplifted the legality of this catch.
The Impact
Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in the T20 world cup final would be remembered for the ages as many Indian Cricket fans said it was not the catch, it grabbed the world cup. There were many memes floated on the internet and social media showing him catching the world cup instead of the ball. His catch was also compared with Sreesanth and Kapil Dev. In the words of Suryakumar Yadav, “It was God’s plan”. On the other hand, the headlines popped up saying ‘South Africa is being robbed off the World Cup!’
What should the ICC do now?
The controversy like this always brings forth many shortcomings and misunderstandings of the game. A cricket lover may not be knowing all the rules as the game progresses he discovers some more rules which he has not heard of. There were many cricket controversies created and managed due to lack of awareness of the rules. As there are ball boys who are placed near the boundary lines to help the players, ICC should appoint the authorized individuals who would pay attention to the displaced boundary lines. For example the pitch controversy during the India Vs New Zealand match. The boundary count rules in the final match between England and New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2019. The timed out incident happened during Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka match. It was not the first time South Africa had to face the rule drama in the world cup. The rain rule or the Duckworth-Lewis method have caused them the world cup in 1992.Â
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Conclusion
The catch was the defining moment in the match. Despite the controversy, Surykumar Yadav showed calmness and great skills to catch the ball. For Indian Cricket Fans the catch would be a memorable one and have etched out a corner in their memory compartment.Â