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How umpire Kumar Dharmasena was the unnoticed hero of the World T20 final

Umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker discuss the controversial catch

Carlos Brathwaite’s four sixes off the final over and captain Darren Sammy’s emotional speech against his country’s cricket administration have become  stuff of legend from the 2016 World T20 final, where West Indies trumped England in the last over. Marlon Samuels was adjudged to be the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 66-ball 85, but there was an even bigger hero in that match for the Windies. 

Had it not been for umpire Kumar Dharmasena, Samuels would have had to leave the field after having scored only 27 runs, and West Indies’ title hopes would have gone up in smoke.

Chasing 156, the champions had started their innings in the most horrible way imaginable. Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons were sent back into the hut within the first three overs. Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo initiated a rescue mission from the fourth over onwards, but they did not have much time to waste.

With the required run rate creeping up to where he did not want it to go, Samuels gave charge in the sixth over, taking 16 runs off Chris Jordan’s second over. The scoring rate inched above 6 for the first time in the innings, and the smiles were returning to the Windies faces.

However, the smiles were wiped off abruptly on the first ball of the seventh over, as Samuels appeared to edge a Liam Plunkett delivery into the grateful hands of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler. England players jumped about in joy, and Samuels started his long walk back to the pavilion. It looked to the naked eye as if the ball had landed right into the gloves of Buttler, and it also looked like the game was in England’s bag.

It had been a back of a length delivery outside off which could have been run down to third man, but looked to have got a bottom edge of Samuels’ bat. The edge also meant that the ball did not carry to Buttler, but this could not be made out.

Enter Dharmasena!

Dharmasena, who was standing as square leg umpire, was probably the only person in the ground who felt as if there was something amiss about what had just happened. Perhaps something in the way in which Buttler celebrated told him something, or perhaps because his perspective offered a better view of the wicketkeeper than umpire Rod Tucker, Dharmasena was not convinced.

Dharmasena approached umpire Tucker and asked him if he was sure that the catch had been clean. Tucker responded that he did not have any doubts that it had been. Dharmasena might have left the matter at that and walked away, and the catch would not have been checked until much later.

However, luckily for West Indies, Dharmasena insisted that the catch needed to be verified. As the two umpires discussed the matter, third umpire Marais Erasmus stepped in. He too questioned Tucker whether he had been sure of the catch. At this, Tucker called for television assistance. Samuels, who had been asked to wait near the boundary, looked on as the replay was beamed on the giant screen.

A collective gasp was heard around the stadium. Replays showed that the ball had clearly bounced before entering Buttler’s gloves.

Had Samuels taken one more step, he could not have been called back. The rule stipulates that a batsman cannot be called back after he has crossed the ropes. Luckily for him and the West Indies, he had been asked to wait by Dharmasena just in the nick of time.

Buttler returned to his position with a glum face. Samuels resumed his stance at the crease, going on to add 58 more runs to his own name, and guiding the game to the final over, where Carlos Brathwaite delivered the killer blow.

Once-struggling umpire’s newfound legendary status

Former Sri Lanka international Dharmasena, who also officiated the 2015 World Cup final, is one of the most trusted umpires in international cricket at the moment. But this has not always been the case.

After retiring from first-class cricket, Dharmasena had tried both coaching and umpiring, but had to wait a long time before he gained recognition. Despite having a Level 3 coaching certificate, his coaching ambitions could not be realised in Sri Lanka. Arjuna Ranatunga had tried to fast-track him to become an international umpire, but opportunities at the top level had been few and far between for him.

It was when Sanath Jayasuriya introduced his former international teammate to the IPL organisers that his fortunes turned. He became a constant presence in the IPL, and international recognition soon came calling. In 2012, ICC named him Umpire of the Year.

A few tributes to Dharmasena after the WT20 final:

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