Abdul Samad of Sunrisers Hyderabad faced a nail-biting situation during the match against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2023 cricket tournament. With just five runs needed off the last ball, Samad holed out to long-off where Jos Buttler took the catch. The fielders and crowd were celebrating the victory. But, Samad noticed the umpire raising his arm for a no-ball. Samad explained in a post-match chat with the broadcaster. He explained that they had already crossed the non-striker’s end when they realized it was a no-ball. He quickly asked Marco Jansen to come back, and they ran just in time for the umpire to signal a free hit.
However, there was confusion about Samad facing the final ball. An IPL umpire has explained this citing the new rules. He says that even if both batsmen have crossed by the time a catch has been taken off a legal delivery, the new incoming batsman will face a strike. This is because it is dead once the fielder catches it. Similarly, off a no-ball, the original striker faces the next ball, even if the batsmen cross before the completion of the catch. Hence, the equation in the game became four from the final ball with Samad back on strike.
The confusion in the comm box
There was confusion among the commentators on air regarding the laws of the game. Graeme Swann and Robin Uthappa were unsure whether the batsmen had crossed before the catch.
Abdul Samad hits a match-winning six
As it turned out, Sandeep’s final ball was right in the slot. Samad repeated his move off the no-ball by shuffling outside off and slamming it over the straight boundary. The crowd and his teammates erupted in joy as Samad secured the win for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Abdul Samad has become a valuable asset to SRH due to his quick thinking and impressive skills. His ability to make crucial decisions under pressure has helped his team win several matches.