CWC 2023: Umpiring error allows five-ball over during Pakistan batting innings v Netherlands

Netherlands, at their first World Cup since 2011, got off to a dream start after winning the toss and opting to bowl first, reducing Babar Azam’s side to 38-3 in the 10th over with Pakistan’s top three all back in the pavilion.

A rebuilding job from Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel wrestled back the initiative in Pakistan’s favour. By the 28-over mark Pakistan had reached 158-3 with both middle-order batters reaching their fifties in quick time.

Pakistan encountered two umpiring errors on their road to recovery, however. Firstly, the 14th over of the Pakistan innings contained just five deliveries. Over was called after Shakeel dispatched the fifth delivery of the over for four with both standing umpires Adrian Holdstock and Chris Brown content that six balls had been bowled. By the time that the fielders were in place for the start of the 15th over, there was no intervention from the TV umpire Rod Tucker to alert the standing officials of their error.

Law 17.5 deals with the umpires miscounting, and explains that any revisions are not possible after a ball is bowled. “If the umpire miscounts the number of valid balls, the over as counted by the umpire shall stand,” it states.

There was a similar error eight overs later. As Shakeel hit a Roelof van der Merwe delivery to the boundary, he and Rizwan immediately signalled to the umpires that the Netherlands had one too many fielders stationed outside the fielding circle. On this occasion, there was enough time for the umpires to rectify their mistake and no ball was called. The free hit was subsequently hit for six.

This is not the first time that a simple counting error has occurred in a World Cup match this year. Back in February during a Pakistan-India women’s T20 World Cup match, India were given a seven-ball over – the extra delivery was hit to the boundary by Jemimah Rodrigues.