India opener Shubman Gill showed his frustration on social media after being controversially dismissed in the second innings of the World Test Championship Final (WTC 2023). A low catch by Cameron Green behind the stumps ended his innings. Gill and over a billion people back home feel that he was given out unfairly by third umpire Richard Kettleborough. It was another case of cricket law being difficult for fans to understand, especially for those who get carried away with emotions. Gill posted some interesting emojis on Instagram and Twitter along with the screenshot of the catch, showing his frustration at getting out. It might do him some good later. For now, he has to deal with his anger.
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Green said in his later thoughts of the day that he knew he had taken a clean catch. He told Test Match Special just after the end of the fourth day’s play, “I knew I caught it immediately. I know it sounds a bit strange, but I knew I caught it immediately.”
Cameron Green said – “At the time I definitely thought I caught it. I thought it was a clean catch and threw it and obviously there was no doubt and the third umpire agreed.” (on the catch of Shubman Gill) pic.twitter.com/x6D3YSd213– Cricketman 2 (@ImTanujSingh) June 10, 2023
Social media is currently divided on the dismissal. Former India cricketers Wasim Jaffer and Virender Sehwag hit out at the umpires, while commentator and expert Harsha Bhogle said that he thought Green had taken the catch cleanly, but that what happened after the catch should disappoint Gill.
Meanwhile, Australian great Ricky Ponting said he felt the ball touched the ground but it was the umpires’ interpretation that the fielder was in control of the catch before the ball touched the ground that mattered. Ponting told the ICC, ‘I really think that some part of the ball touched the ground and the umpire’s interpretation is that as long as the fielder has full control of the ball before it hits the ground, he is out. ‘
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So Gill is out or not out?
There are murky areas in the cricket laws and this was one of those incidents which underlined how complex the game is. While one can question the rules, such tough decisions are based on the umpire’s interpretation of the catch in the light of conclusive evidence. One of the final frames in the replay shows Green’s fingers just below the ball after taking the catch. The frame immediately after this shows that the ball may be grass. A part of the ball appears to be touching a blade of grass. What mattered to umpire Kettleborough, however, was that Green had control of the ball under all fingers. Even if part of the ball is touching the grass, it cannot be ruled out as ‘not out’, the rules say.
Cameron Green took a diving catch to dismiss Shubman Gill on Day 4 of the ICC WTC Final at The Oval. @gettysport pic.twitter.com/Tl5Q14f7An— Ryan Pierce (@RyanPierse) June 10, 2023
Kettleborough stuck to the laws and his interpretation. The laws can still be questioned but not the umpire’s quality of umpiring at that moment.
It was a brilliant effort from Cameron Green but Shubman Gill must have been disappointed when his hand folded soon after taking the catch. — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 10, 2023
What does MCC’s ‘Out Cout’ law say?
A look at three important points of the law:
33.2.1 The striker is deemed to be caught out if the ball bowled by the bowler without touching his bat is caught as a fair catch by a fielder before the latter touches the ground.
33.2.2 A catch shall be fair if the ball is caught in the hand or hands of a fielder, even if the hand holding the ball is touching the ground.
33.3 The act of taking a catch shall commence from the time the ball first comes into contact with the fielder and shall end when the fielder has gained complete control of both the ball and his own motion.
Looking at Law 33.2.1, one cannot fathom that Kettleborough would have thought that Green’s fingers were under the ball, even if it touched a blade of grass a second later. While the evidence in hand showed that Green’s fingers were under the ball, Red’s cherry was also touching the grass. It is the gray area that makes it difficult to accept an ‘out’ decision. This is where the umpire’s interpretation comes into play. For Kettleborough, the ball still touching the grass after the catch did not mean that the ball was grounded. Such decisions are difficult to accept but here the umpires were well within the rules to declare Gill out.