Was umpire Richard Kettleborough has given a favour to Virat Kohli?

1 0 1 190 0

Even though Virat Kohli stole the limelight with his 48th ODI hundred in Pune, helping India bring up their fourth successive win this World Cup 2023, a decision made by umpire Richard Kettleborough became the talking point.

The on-field umpire decided to not signal a wide even the ball had drifted down the leg side, allowing Kohli an opportunity to still get to a hundred with runs off his bat.

India needed two to win and Kohli was on 97 when the 42nd over of India's run-chase started.

The umpire’s decision ultimately provided Kohli with an additional opportunity to get to his 48th ODI century. He is now one ton away from equaling Sachin Tendulkar’s record in the 50-over format.

As we know, in limited-over cricket, any delivery that goes down the leg side is immediately called a Wide Ball. But, that did not happen.

Many are alleging that Kettleborough did that deliberately so that Kohli could get to his hundred.

Some are sarcastically saying that the umpire should be given the “Player of the Match" award while some believe that the umpires panel should take this seriously.

According to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodians of the Laws of Cricket, “A ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker unless it is sufficiently within reach for him/her to be able to hit it with the bat by means of a normal cricket stroke.”

But the rules also add, “The umpire shall not adjudge a delivery as being a Wide, if the striker, by moving, either causes the ball to pass wide of him/her.”

Former international umpire Vinayak Kulkarni said, “Normal wide in one-day cricket is any ball pitching outside the leg-stump and going down is wide. But it comes with a rider. Had the striker not moved and had the ball hit him, it wouldn’t be wide though it goes down the leg.

“In simple terms, a striker cannot make a ball wide by moving. Had Kohli not moved (inside a little) to the off-side for that delivery, in the opinion of the umpire, the ball would have hit him. And, if a ball hits a person, then there’s no question of wide,” said Kulkarni.

MCC, however, changed this law in 2022. "In the modern game, batters are, more than ever, moving laterally around the crease before the ball is bowled,” an official statement from the MCC.

Thus, the change in law could have prompted the umpire to make the call. Nevertheless, even if it would have been a wide, Kohli's six to finish off the match would have still allowed him to get to a hundred.