A section of the boundary rope was displaced from its position for close to half an hour during the Pakistan-Netherlands 2023 World Cup clash in Hyderabad, leading to questions of the Laws of Cricket.

A small portion of the mid-wicket boundary cushion was disturbed and out of place for a lengthy passage of play in Pakistan’s first World Cup game. The incident first came to light in the fifth ball of the 21st over of the second innings of the game, when the boundary cushion was seen a few feet away from the marked white line underneath it, which is used to indicate the expected position of the hoardings.

In most international matches, the boundary is marked by means of a continuous white line, on top of which is a boundary cushion, usually a continuous poster of different sponsor ads. According to the MCC’s Laws on Boundaries, if the solid object – the cushion in this case – that marks the boundary, is disturbed for any reason, then Clause 19.3.2 states, “The object shall be returned to its original position as soon as is practicable; if play is taking place, this shall be as soon as the ball is dead.”

The boundary cushion was seen away from the white line during the 22nd over and should have been set back in place soon after. However, nearly 30 minutes after it was first found displaced, it was still pushed back, away from the white line.

If there was a big hit in that direction, it could have created controversy. If the ball had landed over the white line but inside the boundary cushion, confusion would have prevailed over whether it was a four or a six. Clause 19.3.1 would have come into the picture then, with the law stating “the boundary shall be considered to be in its original position” if it is disturbed for any reason.

If the above situation did arise, the batter would have been awarded six runs, despite the ball not sailing over the boundary cushion, as they were out of place.

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