Watch: Shan Masood was caught in the slips on the first day of the Sydney Test match today (January 3), but eagle-eyed online fans spotted an error in the no ball check for the dismissal, which showed the Pakistan captain being in two places at once.
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Four overs before his dismissal, Masood had survived another edge into the slip cordon after a review showed Mitchell Marsh had overstepped. On the no ball check for the incident, the TV umpire Joel Wilson was shown pictures of Marsh’s foot being well over the line as it came down, with Mohammad Rizwan standing at the non-striker’s end in the background.
When Masood once again edge to the slips off Marsh, giving an easy catch to Steve Smith, Wilson decided to check the front foot to make sure Marsh hadn’t overstepped for a second time. He was again showed the replay from a side-on angle of Marsh’s delivery stride, with his foot coming down behind the line this time. Masood had to walk back to the dressing room for 35, leaving Pakistan 96-5.
However, eagle-eyed fans online spotted that the replay Wilson was shown could not have been from the same ball to which Masood was dismissed. Rizwan was standing at the non-striker’s end during the dismissal, just as he had been when he appeared in the shot of Marsh’s delivery stride for the no ball check. But, on the footage of Marsh’s delivery stride for the dismissal delivery, the batter standing in the background of the shot was clearly not Rizwan and was actually Masood himself.
I can’t understand why no one is talking about this? When Shan Masood was out and it was a no ball, Rizwan was on the non-striker end and a no ball was given. But when Shan Masood was out for the second time and a no ball was checked, Shan was on both the striker and non-striker… https://t.co/Z300SrCFwI pic.twitter.com/NzzpCBwwgk
— Zeshan⁵⁶ 🇵🇰 (@ZH_Syed56) January 3, 2024
Given that this would mean Masood would have to have been in two places at once, both facing the ball and at the non-striker’s end, the images suggest that the Marsh delivery Wilson was shown was not the same one which Masood was out to. This would mean Marsh’s front foot on the delivery with which he dismissed Masood may have gone unchecked.
Pakistan were bowled out for 313 on Day One in Sydney, with Australia finishing the day on six for no loss.
Watch: Mitchell Marsh dismisses Shan Masood below
Mitch Marsh got the wicket of Shan Masood – but it was a no ball!
However, 10 balls later, he got him again! #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/bJxYikSIIc
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 3, 2024