A peculiar series of events that left players, fans, and analysts scratching their heads prevented Australia from taking wickets against the West Indies in the second Twenty20 International. The drama took place during the penultimate over of the West Indies’ run chase, which is noteworthy. Joseph raced towards the non-striker’s end, nudging the ball towards cover in an attempt to get a quick single.
But captain Mitchell Marsh, positioned at cover, grabbed the ball and returned it to Spencer Johnson, breaking the stumps. Remarkably, Johnson returned right away to make his impact; none of the Australian players filed an appeal. After replying, “No appeal,” to the TV umpire over the radio, on-field umpire Gerard Abood was left standing.
After watching the film on the Adelaide Oval’s enormous screen, everything quickly changed.
The Australian players’ celebrations didn’t deter the on-field umpire, who asked Johnson to carry out the over after making it clear that none of the players had filed a formal appeal. The umpires and the hosts, however, were taken aback and engaged in intense debate. Joseph, on the other hand, was relieved, but Australia’s negligence in the field went viral on social media.
The Australians prevailed by 34 runs to 1.
Australia easily won the match by 34 runs in spite of the controversy. Australia managed to score 241 runs, which was sufficient for the Kangaroos to cross the finish line, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s explosive knock of 120 runs off 55 deliveries. Australia appeared to be in control after the first inning, thanks to some strong cameos from Tim David and Mitchell Marsh.
On the other hand, the West Indies fought hard and with great character. While Andre Russell scored 37 runs off 16 deliveries, Rovman Powell hammered 63 runs off 36 deliveries. Jason Holder later made a cameo of 28 runs off of 16 deliveries, but it was still far short of Australia’s total. As a result of his outstanding performance, Maxwell was named Player of the Match.
India
