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Sri Lanka T20I captain and star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has taken aim at umpire Lyndon Hannibal for failing to signal a no-ball in the last over of the exciting third T20I match against Afghanistan at Dambulla.
After the match which Afghanistan won by 3 runs, Hasaranga bluntly stated that umpire Hannibal should find another job. The square-leg umpire Hannibal failed to declare a no-ball after a Wafadar Momand delivery past batter Kamindu Mendis well over waist height without pitching, prompting Hasaranga to make his caustic remarks. Even though Kamindu had scooted down the pitch, if he had been standing straight at the popping crease, the delivery would have probably landed higher than his waist. Based on the playing conditions set by the ICC, this would be considered a no-ball. Hasaranga was quite critical, without mentioning Hannibal by name. "That kind of thing shouldn't happen in an international match. If it had been close [to waist height], that's not a problem. But a ball that's going so high... it would have hit the batsman's head if it had gone a little higher," Hasaranga said of the incident as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "If you can't see that, that umpire isn't suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job," he added. At that point, Sri Lanka needed 11 runs from the final three balls. They ultimately needed to make 11 out of the final two because the delivery was judged legal and Kamindu made no touch with the entire full toss. Kamindu was spotted requesting the no-ball after the umpires decided it was a fair delivery. Player reviews for umpire decisions that do not involve possible dismissals are not permitted under the current ICC playing standards. In actuality, unless a dismissal is in question, umpires themselves are not permitted to start third-umpire reviews on no-balls. Hasaranga expressed disapproval of the Review system as well, arguing that the third umpire ought to have the authority to verify no-balls of all kinds, not only front-foot. "There was a situation where you could review those calls before, but the ICC has got rid of that. Our batsmen tried to review that. If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well. There's no reason why they can't. They didn't do even that, so I'm not sure what was going on in his (the square-leg umpire's) mind at the time," Hasaranga said. Sri Lanka went on to lose the last T20I of the series against Afghanistan by three runs, although the hosts won the series 2-1. (ANI)
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