At the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, the second match of the much awaited ODI World Cup 2023 pits Australia against South Africa. In their 50 permitted overs while batting first, the Proteas amassed 311 runs. In response, the Australian team’s pursuit got off to a rough start, as they lost both of their openers with only 27 runs total. After the first wicket fell, Steven Smith entered the batting order. He played some promising shots before being bowled out by Kagiso Rabada.
When it came to Steven Smith dismissal, he glanced away from a short, inward-slanting speech. At first, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma were confident and chose to examine the judgment, although Smith initially thought it was a missing leg stump. The ball-tracking unexpectedly indicated that it would strike the leg stump. Smith was forced to leave the field despite his resistance.
Steven Smith was shocked by the sudden turn of events, which handed South Africa a big edge.
Smith had moved over the crease, giving the impression that the ball would swerve beyond the leg stump. However, since there were three reds on the screen, not even the umpire’s call on HawkEye could have rescued him. This rejection turned out to be a turning point and a significant setback for Australia.
Another dismissal in the game sparked discussion about the TV umpire’s role. Marcus Stoinis, an all-rounder for Australia, found himself in the spotlight after being controversially ruled out for being caught behind during Australia’s pursuit.
In the 18th over of his innings, Stoinis played a fast delivery from Kagiso Rabada. Stoinis had to return to the pavilion after Quinton de Kock made a tumbling catch down the leg side. When South Africa arrived at the wicket and elected to review, UltraEdge technology appeared to show a slight touch of the ball against Stoinis’ bottom hand.
But when Richard Kettleborough, the third umpire, entered the game, the real drama began. Kettleborough determined that even though Stoinis seemed to release the bat handle, the right glove was still in touch with the left, which was holding the bat. As a result, Stoinis was struck out after only scoring five runs, which left many people, including Stoinis himself, perplexed.
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