T20 World cup 2021: "Glenn Maxwell at the other end heard the noise" - Matthew Wade explains why David Warner didn't review the caught behind against Pakistan
Australia's semi-final hero Matthew Wade has explained the reason behind David Warner not reviewing the umpire's on-field decision when he was erroneously given out against Pakistan's Shadab Khan.
In what was a turning point - and could have been a losing one for Australia - David Warner was given out caught behind in the 11th over when he was batting brilliantly at 49. There was a sound as the googly went past his bat to the 'keeper and Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab immediately broke into a wild appeal as well.
The opening batter walked off without reviewing it and UltraEdge later showed a flat line and a clear gap between the bat and the ball.
Replying to Sportskeeda's query after the match, Matthew Wade said Warner didn't think it was out either.
Matthew Wade stated that Warner's partner at the crease, Glenn Maxwell, heard a sound that he thought came off the edge and advised Warner against using a review.
Matthew Wade explained:
"Yeah, we haven't had too much time to chat about it, just passing comments... I think there was a noise. He (Warner) wasn't sure, maybe his bat handle clicked or his hand on his bat. He didn't think that he hit it but I think Glenn at the other end heard the noise and to be fair that out there, that was the only thing that could have been so he was potentially thinking that he (Warner) might have hit it. It's really tough in those situations. How many times do you see a batter think that they haven't hit it and they have?"
Matthew Wade hoped to avoid a similar blunder and instead make use of the two available reviews in the final against New Zealand. He said:
"So a little bit of reassurance from the other end I suppose [would have helped] but that's now how it [went] with Maxy. Maxy heard a noise and he was batting out there. So hopefully something like that doesn't happen in the next match but we just got to work it out. The thing is we get 2 reviews in this format so you can sort of say that we should have used it but that's the way it goes."
Warner and Maxwell would have found it difficult to forgive themselves had it not been for the stunning, unbeaten 81-run partnership between Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis. With his team requiring 21 off 10 balls, Wade pulled off three jaw-dropping sixes against Shaheen Shah Afridi to seal a five-wicket victory - unarguably one of the best in Australia's T20I history.
"It opens up the whole field for you" - Matthew Wade on his scoop shots
The first and last of those three sixes - one that eased the pressure and the other that put the final nail - were brilliant reverse scoops. When asked about the same in the presser, Matthew Wade expounded on how he used the unorthodox strokes to "open up the whole field" for himself in the death overs.
Matthew Wade said:
"I have had those for a longish period of time. I have been playing them from early on in my career as well. But it's certainly something I needed to tap back into a little bit more when I am batting down the bottom. You know, it's easy to have a fine-leg up a lot of the time at the end but something like a lap opens up the whole field for you. You need to either have a mid-off up or third-man up or one of the fielders on the off side to it opens up the whole field for you a little bit. I think lap is something that I would have liked early on in the innings tonight but I just didn't think they would go pace on as much as they did. Thankfully I got a few away at the end."
With a memorable win, Australia have fixed a date with their Trans-Tasman neighbors New Zealand in Dubai for Sunday in what will hopefully be an equally thrilling finale.
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