AUS vs AFG | Twitter reacts as Stoinis' arrogance turns into shock after third umpire rules his catch illegal

11/07/2023

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The scrutiny on contentious catches has never been greater courtesy of technology, rendering faith in a fielder's honesty a thing of the past. Tuesday proved why the change has been a positive one as an overly confident Marcus Stoinis claimed he had taken a clean catch only to be proven wrong.

Afghanistan managed to pace their innings as per the conventional ODI template to post a target of 292 for Australia at the Wankhede. The last five overs of their innings cost over 60 runs to the Kangaroos, largely due to Rashid Khan's 18-ball blitzkrieg of 35 which included two maximums and a boundary in the final over. However, the men from Down Under had a great opportunity to limit the damage with the batter essentially seeming to be a goner in the 48th over, only for a bizarre sequence of events to follow.

Rashid sliced his bat at a full and wide delivery by Mitchell Starc on the penultimate ball of the over but failed to time his effort properly as it flew high in the night sky. Marcus Stoinis rushed in from the boundary at a rapid pace and put in a full-length dive at deep cover to pluck the ball right before it hit the deck. However, the umpires showcased doubt over whether he had picked the Kookaburra off the ground even though a smug-looking Stoinis confidently indicated he had made no errors in seizing the opportunity.

Much to his dismay, the replays initially seemed to add weight to his claim but as the third umpire looked at different angles, the suspicions grew before Rashid was eventually given a clean chit. Stoinis immediately held his head in his hands when the decision was broadcast on the big screen with disappointment writ large on his face as Twitterati quickly flooded social media with reactions over the incident.

That was not expected by the Hulk!

pic.twitter.com/bl4NXR50wc
— bhupendar jogi (@JogiBhupen85333) November 7, 2023

That was good to ask umpires before celebrating!

Great sportsmanship from Stoinis to ask for a review on that catch there I love to see it #CWC23 #AFGvAUS
— Kimi 🇿🇦🇦🇺 (@sportyspicekimi) November 7, 2023

Agreed!

Great sportsmanship from Stoinis to ask for a review on that catch there I love to see it #CWC23 #AFGvAUS
— Kimi 🇿🇦🇦🇺 (@sportyspicekimi) November 7, 2023

Good catch by bog boy but sadly not!

That catch was legit by #Stoinis . Third umpire kept on getting confused after each replay. His fingers were under the ball. #AFGvAUS #AUSvsAFG #CWC23
— Piyush Kumar (@iPiyushK) November 7, 2023

He was not sure tho!

Australia is at it again. To me it bounced and Stoinis claimed a catch. Phew 😥 #AUSvsAFG pic.twitter.com/CQeuAeTM0s
— Vishesh Khanna (@imvisheshkhanna) November 7, 2023

Ok ok!

Stoinis claims a catch. Technology calls the bluff. Well Dear Stoinis, this is neither Sydney nor is the year 2007. Bump catches cannot be claimed in 2023. #Cwc23 #afgvsaus
— Rahul Deo Bharadwaj (@deo26) November 7, 2023

Not really!

I think Stoinis took that catch 😕
— Heshan Fernando 🇱🇰 (@HeshannFernando) November 7, 2023

Good grab but didn't end up well!

Abysmal decision by Chris Gaffney

That was a clean catch from Stoinis every day of the week.

Hopeless umpiring#CWC23
— W.A.Dad (@grazinggoat66) November 7, 2023

Correct! He saw it coming!