Sanju Samson Catch Controversy: 'There Was A Shadow, Inconclusive Evidence, Umpire's Decision Is...'; Experts Share Their Opinion
sanju samson catch controversy shadow evidence surprised umpire decision experts reactions
Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals, was livid with umpires when he was given out after Shai Hope took a catch just near the boundary ropes in the 16th over. The question was whether Hope’s feet touched the boundary ropes while taking the catch. The third umpire ruled Samson out but the RR skipper was not happy. He initially started walking towards the pavilion, only to return to the middle and have some words with the on-field umpires. Samson’s dismissal has divided fans on social media, while cricket pundits are also giving varied opinions. However, the general consensus is that maybe umpires could have taken a bit more time. Let us take a look at some of those reactions:
Former England cricketer Paul Collingwood was among the first to react and opined that third umpire Michael Gough could have taken more time. “Goughy (Michael Gough) is a very good friend of mine. So I am going to defend him (chuckles). Maybe he could have given himself another angle, just to double-check. Because it was so, so close. Those decisions and those moments make a huge difference. So maybe he could have given himself a little bit more time,” Collingwood, one of the greatest fielders in the sport, told Star Sports.
“I know in the IPL, the organisers want to quicken things up, the umpires are being told that they have got to quicken the decisions. I think, on this occasion, a couple of more angles, just to clarify could have put everybody at ease. That might have been the best way to go,” he added.
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Former India batter Wasim Jaffer also believes that the third umpire should’ve waited a bit more but agreed that it was out.“With the replays that we saw, I felt he was out. The foot didn’t touch the rope. There wasn’t conclusive evidence. There was an international umpire there. Shai Hope also said that, although obviously, the fielder will say that only. But overall, with how it looked, I felt that was out,” Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.
“They should’ve taken more time. I’m surprised at how quickly they decided. It was a very important moment in the match. RR’s win depended on that. You could’ve looked at it with 2-3 more angles or a super slow-mo, too. I felt they took a decision in a hurry,” said Jaffer further.
Pommie Mbangwa, the former Zimbabwean cricketer turned commentator added another angle to it, talking about the shadows. “First thing is you see what you look for. If you are looking for the boundary cushion being touched then you might see the cushion being touched. But doesn’t mean that it actually happened. But if you are looking for the cushion not being touched then you won’t see it. In my eyes, there is a shadow as you watch as Hope gets closer to the cushion and it’s not the shadow from his foot actually, I think it is from the hands as he is waving them to try and keep his balance – so that he doesn’t go onto the ropes and he just manages to do so. It’s so close.”
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Ex-India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu minced no words either. There could be differences of opinion, but if you look at the side-on angle, it touches the boundary twice. It was pretty clear. Either you don’t use technology, or if you’re using it and the technology is making a mistake, it’s like there’s a fly in milk, and someone asks you to drink it,” Sidhu told Star Sports. “It touched the boundary line twice. And after this, if someone says that it’s out… see, I’m a neutral person, so I’ve seen it, it’s not out. That’s why I also kept saying it about Kohli (on his dismissal against KKR, which triggered controversy over potential no-ball). Whatever may be the rule, you can see it from the naked eye; some evidence is very strong not to believe. It’s like finding a trout in a glass of milk. Umpire didn’t do it on purpose, no one is at fault. It’s part of the game. That changed the game,” the former batter said.
Kumar Sangakkara, director of cricket at RR, has also spoken in detail and said, “It depends on replays and angles. Sometimes, you think the foot has touched. It was a difficult one for the third umpire to judge; the game was at a crucial stage, but it happened. We have different perspectives, but at the end of the day, you have to stand by the decision the third umpire has made, even if we have a different opinion on it. Of course, we will share it with the umpires.”
“Just asking what the procedure was and whether there was any doubt. The on-field umpire will have to go by what the TV umpire says. Players have to abide by it, and there are means of conveying your opinion through direct conversation or the umpire’s report. We follow protocol; there is a lot of pressure on players and umpires. We try to sort it in the best way we can.”
* On the other hand, DC’s assistant coach Pravin Amre threw his weight behind Shai Hope and said, “We have to give credit to Hope to judge that catch, to be very honest. And umpires are there, there’s also so much technology. It was given out by the third umpire. The umpire’s decision is the final decision, and I will give credit to Hope because it wasn’t an easy catch. It was really travelling.”
Sanju Samson kept Rajasthan in the hunt with a blistering 86 off 46 balls, including six sixes and eight boundaries, but his controversial dismissal in the 16th over saw the visitors finish at 201/8, their third loss this season.