3 times when a batter got another life due to no-ball and scored big in main matches of ICC tournaments
ICC tournaments happen once in every two or four years. The major tournaments organized by the International Cricket Council are Cricket World Cup, World Test Championship Final, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy.
Knockout matches of the aforementioned tournaments receive more viewership than a majority of the international games played throughout the year. The players can immortalize themselves by performing well in the main matches of ICC tournaments.
Be it MS Dhoni's winning six, Carlos Brathwaite's four back-to-back maximums, Jos Buttler's diving run-out or Sreesanth's catch, these moments have been etched in history and fans who watched them live can never forget them.
The players are under enormous pressure when playing in the main matches of ICC tournaments. Even a small mistake can have a big impact on the final result of such games. It is important for the players to get their basics right while playing at such a level.
Bowling no-balls is something which the bowlers can control. If luck does not favor the bowler, they may end up overstepping on the ball where the batter lost his wicket. Sometimes, that reprieve can prove to be game-changing as the batter can score big for his team.
On that note, we will take a look at the three such instances when a batter lost his wicket on a no-ball and then ended up playing a big knock in the knockout matches of ICC tournaments.
#1 Ajinkya Rahane, WTC Final 2023
Ajinkya Rahane was batting on 17 in the first innings of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final against Australia when Pat Cummins trapped him in front of the stumps. Just as the Aussies started their celebrations, the umpire said that it was a no-ball.
A No Ball from Cummins saved Rahane yesterday ✅
A No Ball from Cummins saved Shardul Thakur today ✅
Cummins bowled a beautiful delivery but he over stepped!
There's some luck that is favouring India!
#WTCFinal
#AUSvIND
#AUSvsIND
#NOBALL https://t.co/IIWafn3R4f
Rahane went on to score 72 more runs after that no-ball. He added 109 runs for the seventh wicket with Shardul Thakur and finished with 89 runs to his name. Rahane's half-century helped India avoid a follow-on against Australia.
#2 Lendl Simmons, ICC T20 World Cup 2016 semifinal
West Indies took on hosts India in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2016. Wankhede Stadium played host to that match, and India set a big target of 193 runs for the Men in Maroon.
India dismissed Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels in the first three overs. The Men in Blue could have dismissed Lendl Simmons in the seventh over as he handed a catch to Jasprit Bumrah off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling.
Then, Simmons again handed a catch to Ashwin off Hardik Pandya's bowling when he was on 50. Once again, it turned out to be a no-ball. Simmons went on to score 82* off 51 balls and helped West Indies to progress through the finals.
#3 Fakhar Zaman, Champions Trophy 2017 Final
Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Fakhar Zaman caught behind in the fourth over of the India vs Pakistan match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final. However, the Indian pacer had overstepped, allowing Zaman to continue batting in the middle.
2016 WT20: Lendl Simmons got out to No ball and scored fifty!
2017 CT: Fakhar Zaman got out to No ball and scored fifty!
Costly No balls
Zaman went on to score a hundred as Pakistan posted a mammoth 338-run total on the board. In reply, India got all out for 158 and lost the match by 180 runs.