In a letter to the IPL’s officials, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have allegedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the third umpire’s decision over the dismissal of their captain, Kane Williamson. A delivery from Prasidh Krishna was edged to Sanju Samson at the wicketkeeper’s end during the game between Rajasthan Royals and SRH on March 29. The ball bounced off Samson’s hands and Devdutt Padikkal, who was standing in the first slip area, got a hold of it.
Despite this, Williamson was not persuaded, and the subject was transferred to third umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan for further investigation and confirmation. Upon further examination of the catch, it seemed that the ball had bounced in front of Padikkal’s hands before being gripped by the latter’s hands. Even though the catch seemed to be made illegally, the third umpire seemed convinced and the Sunrisers were defeated by 61 runs in the end.
Franchise representative says SRH have written to BCCI, following due process
A representative from the SRH franchise acknowledged that the team has written to the BCCI to express their dissatisfaction with the third umpire’s decision, noting that the system calls for the coach to do so, according to the sources. Another official for the team said that the captain has included the decision in the report to the IPL match referee.
“Yes, we have written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. To be considered, the coach must provide a written statement, and the process has been followed,” a franchise official stated, as reported by Cricbuzz.
According to a spokeswoman for the club management, “the protest was also included in the captain’s report, which is provided to the IPL match referee after each game.”
Meanwhile, head coach Tom Moody said that he was “a little astonished” after seeing the video and expressed concern about the fact that the third umpire had enough information to make a judgement.
“The fact that it was awarded was a complete surprise to us, especially after seeing the replay. The on-field umpires bringing it upstairs is understandable; but, when this occurred and we saw the proof, it was not acceptable. We’re definitely not umpires, but we were pretty clear of the outcome,” Moody said at the press conference after the game.
