England were denied a crucial run due to an incorrect on-field lbw decision - subsequently ruled not out by the TV umpire - during the dying stages of the thrilling Oval Test.
The fifth day of the last Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy saw a fascinating end, as India clinched the game by six runs to draw the series 2-2. Needing 35 runs at the start of the day with four wickets in hand, England seemed to have the edge as they began with two fours, before Mohammed Siraj picked up Jamie Smith.
The India quick dismissed Jamie Overton in his next over for a 17-ball 9, after Kumar Dharmasena ruled him out lbw on the field. Replays suggested umpire’s call, as England lost their eighth wicket.
5th Test, England vs India
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Also read: Wisden's Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 team of the series
In the very next over, the 81st of the innings, Prasidh Krishna sent down a full-length delivery that nipped in and thudded onto Josh Tongue’s pads. India went up in appeal, and umpire Ahsan Raza ruled him out.
Tongue and Gus Atkinson completed a run in the meantime, but once Raza’s finger went up, the run was void due to a clause in the playing conditions that calls for a dead ball if “following a Player Review request, an original decision of Out is changed to Not out, then the ball is still deemed to have become dead when the original decision was made. The batting side, while benefiting from the reversal of the dismissal, shall not benefit from any runs that may subsequently have accrued from the delivery had the on-field umpire originally made a Not out decision.”
Clause 3.7 of Appendix D of the ICC playing conditions continues: “If an original decision of Not out is changed to Out, the ball shall retrospectively be deemed to have become dead from the moment of the dismissal event. All subsequent events, including any runs scored, shall be ignored.”
Had the law been allowed for the run to be given, Atkinson, who scored 17 in 29 balls, would have been on strike for the last two balls of the over. With England losing a close game, the extra run, along with bringing a more established batter on strike, could have proved decisive, with many bringing up the “daftness” of the law on social media as well as questioning Raza's decision.
Also read: How controversies like Dewald Brevis’s lbw against RCB can be avoided
Follow Wisden for all England vs India updates, including live scores, latest news, team lineups, schedule and more. The live streaming details for the ENG vs IND series in India, UK, USA and rest of the world can be found here. For Wisden quizzes, head here.
