Was Miller out, did umpire hasten Proteas' defeat in World Cup final

The crucial dismissal of David Miller, which signalled the end of Proteas’ chances of winning the T20 World Cup final against India, has left a bitter aftertaste in the mouth of South African fans and media after video footage showed that the left foot of the fielder Suryakumar Yadav had touched the bottom of the boundary rope.

The South Africans needed 16 off the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya. Miller hammered the first ball, a full toss, to long-off where Yadav, running in to the boundary edge took a catch before throwing it up in the air before returning into the field.

The third umpire Richard Kettleborough gave it six immediately after only the first look. On closer inspection replays showed that Yadav had touched the bottom of the boundary marking. The question is if Yadav had released the ball by the time he flicked the boundary. 

If that would have been accepted as six, then it would have brought the equation for South Africa down to 10 off five balls and going by what happened over the next few balls, the T20 World Cup title would have belonged to the Proteas and not India.

“This was all while the ball was in his hand, if it’s grass then it’s fair but for me that looks like the bottom of the boundary, regardless a second look was needed,” tweeted Ben Curtis, a Cricket South Africa Level 3 umpire.

“So I reckon that's out under current rules but insane how quick they called it given it's literally the whole world cup on that call,” tweeted Bertus de Jong, a South African cricket journalist, while questioning the hastiness with which ICC panel umpire Kettleborough gave the decision as out.

It should be noted that more inspections would have created doubts in the mind of the third umpire and that may helped in giving benefit of the doubt to Miller, the batsman.

The ICC has faced flak for keeping the tournament with India in mind. The world’s biggest cricket nation had failed to win an ICC Trophy for 11 years before this title.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised the choice of venue for the England-India semifinal, “If England had beaten SA they would have got the Trinidad semi and I believe they would have won that game. So no complaints they haven’t been good enough. But Guyana has been a lovely venue pick for India… Was always going to hard (sic) for England on this pitch. India just so much better on lower slower spinning pitches.”

There have also been talks about India getting no night match and only day games keeping in mind the TV timing in India.

Cricket, T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli