Technology stops Tilak Varma !! - what is a dead ball ??

Technology has changed the game a lot !  in 1983 tense WC finals – with mighty West Indies tottering, remember a moment, Krish Srikkanth picking up the ball and throwing down  the stumps at non-striker end, most of us believed Faud Bacchus was short of crease ! – he was not given out in an era when we thought every direct hit earned a run out ! – we cursed the Umpire.  Now a days, many a decisions are overturned by referrals with the use of technology.  Yet Tilak Verma would be cursing technology and hopefully, it may not have any impact in the result of today’s match at Mullanpur.

 

Surprisingly in a Team that boasts of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Tim David,  Romario Shepherd – and a team that had big hitters like Kieron Pollard – Tilak Varma has a milestone of 50 sixers – the quickest to reach that target for MI.    

Whether or not technology is a blessing or a curse has been a heated debate for a while. In cricket, the answer is pretty straightforward. Now that cricket matches are regularly recorded and aired, cameras are an expected feature on the pitch. Today towards the end, when MI was hurrying, Tilak Varma hit Harshal Patel hard and high, but it did not reach any fielders in the long !!   - reason it hit the Spidercam and had its direction changed.   It was declared a dead ball – whether it would have gone for a 6 or 4 or would have landed in the hands of a fielder – not known !!  

Day before at Eden Gardens, there was a man   turning down singles in the 18th over, after Rovman Powell got out following a decent cameo. He later clobbered two sixes and a four off the penultimate over, to get the equation down to nine off the final six balls.  Despite a grand performance by Sunil Naraine, it was Butler show.

Jos Buttler started slightly slow as Rajasthan Royals (RR) aimed to travel at more than 11 an over, making only 25 off his first 18 balls. He was at the crease during what seemed like a debilitating mid-innings slowdown, in which Royals scored only 30 from six overs, and lost three wickets in that time, and with a stunning unbeaten 107 he ensured a dream victory.    Varun Chakravarthy  bowled the final, was hit for a 6 off the first then bowled three dots but Butler finished in the final over. 

Today at Mullanpur, MI put into bat by Sam Curran finished at 192/7  with Rohit, Sky and Tilak Varma contributing. In the final over (19.4 to be precise)  an aerial shot by Tilak on its way to long-on struck the spider camera.    Rule no. 20.1 : defines when ‘Ball is dead’  

20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when

20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.

20.1.1.2 a boundary is scored

20.1.1.3 a batter is dismissed.  The ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing the dismissal.

20.1.1.4 whether played or not it becomes trapped between the bat and person of a batter or between items of his/her clothing or equipment.

20.1.1.5 whether played or not it lodges in the clothing or equipment of a batter or the clothing of an umpire.

.. ..  and there are many more circumstances when the ball is deemed dead, ie., no runs, no wickets, no action, the delivery too is not counted.  Today it was by hitting an equipment.

 

What would have happened if on the final over needing say 4 – a clean hit, moments before crossing the boundary hits the equipment.  Rule would say a dead ball and what would be fate, if the batsman thus denied legitimate runs, gets out in the next and Team loses !!

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
18.4.2024