Five worst umpiring errors in cricket

To err is human. In the game of cricket, or any sport for that matter, this maxim has a greater significance. In a cricket match, umpires always try to be as accurate as possible on the field to give the correct decision, but sometimes even their eagle eyes fail to find the general dismissals. Ever since its inception, cricket has seen many such umpiring errors, giving rise to so many controversies. 

Over the years, India and Australia cricket team have been involved in so many interesting rivalries. But among all of those, it was the Australian summer of 2008 that could be considered as the most dramatic. Starting from “Bollyline” controversy, to complaints of racism against Harbhajan Singh, it had all the ingredients to pump up both the teams. 

But as many as nine wrong decisions by ICC panel umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson ended the match in a dramatic fashion as the Indian team lost the match in the final ten minutes. Some commentators had also suggested that the umpiring mistakes had a major impact on the course of the match. 

Andrew Symonds got away with three wrong decisions from the umpires and scored an unbeaten knock of 162 runs, while Michael Hussey was wrongly given not out during his unbeaten 145 in the second innings. 

2. Darrell Hair seven no-ball call to Muttiah Muralitharan

Dune had later said that any suspect bowling action of any bowler would have to be reported to the match referee before calling no-ball immediately. Muralitharan, though, underwent numerous tests conducted by the ICC and was given a clean-chit.

This incident happened during England’s Pool A match of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup against Australia. Chasing a humongous target of 343, England were placed at a precarious position of 195/9, when James Anderson joined James Taylor in the middle. Taylor was looking pretty comfortable in tackling the Australian pacers and was on the verge of completing his century. But then a controversial decision of the umpire prevented Taylor from scoring a hundred.

Taylor was given out by on-field umpire Aleem Dar, after a leg-before appeal from Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood. But Taylor went for a review, being sure about the fact that the ball had passed down the leg side. TV umpire Billy Bowden overturned the decision. But as England attempted a single from the same delivery, Glenn Maxwell hit the stumps before Anderson could manage to enter his crease.

4. Ben Stokes controversy, India vs England, 2016

India immediately reviewed the decision and Ultra edge showed a spike when the ball crossed the bat. What made things difficult was that Stokes had hit his bat on the ground just as the ball reached his bat. Even though it looked, at least to the naked eye, as if the ball had taken the outside edge, there was nothing to back it up.  

However, the third umpire gave the Indians the decision and Stokes was sent back. Stokes, who was adamant that it was the bat hitting the ground that made the sound, was not at all impressed by the decision.

This glaring umpiring error had happened during a match between India and Sri Lanka in 2012. The match ended in a tie as Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni managed to steal three runs off the final delivery in the 50th over. 

The 30th over of the game, which was bowled by pacer Lasith Malinga, turned out to be the second most expensive over in the game as Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir scored nine runs from the over. But after five balls, the umpire called the end of the over.

In the post-match interview, Dhoni had said, "Well because it's done and dusted. That's what is important. We can create a big fuss out of it but what's the point? It's like a controversy standing right at the edge, just about to happen, because we have seen in the past that we have bowled an over and they have almost changed ends. But then the third umpire interferes and says, 'Okay you have to bowl one more ball in this particular over". It didn't happen in this game. I don't know why. We don't really want to create a controversy."