Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has voiced strong criticism against umpire Lyndon Hannibal after he did not rule a no-ball during the third T20I against Afghanistan.
During the final T20I of the three-match, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by a narrow three-run margin in a last-over thriller
Needing 19 runs from the last over, Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis scored two fours in the first three balls of Wafadar Momand.
The next ball went above the waist height of the batter, who had shuffled down the pitch, but the umpire did not rule it a no-ball, resulting in the Sri Lankan captain’s blasting remarks after the match.
“That kind of thing shouldn’t happen in an international match,” Wanindu Hasaranga said.
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“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.
“If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”
Mendis asked the umpire to check the no-ball, however, according to ICC playing conditions players can only ask the umpire to review a decision in case of a dismissal.
A dot and wide ball followed the last ball six from Mendis, which was not enough as they required 10 to win.
Despite the loss, Sri Lanka won the series 2-1 after winning the first two games by margins of four and 72 runs respectively.