"Would be much better if he did another job" - Wanindu Hasaranga lambasts umpire over missed no-ball call in 3rd SL-BAN T20I
Sri Lankan captain Wanindu Hasaranga has slammed umpire Lyndon Hannibal for missing out on calling a blatant no-ball in the final over of the thrilling third T20I against Afghanistan at Dambulla on Thursday, February 22.
The non-call happened in the fourth ball of the final over, with Sri Lanka needing 11 runs off three deliveries to complete a series whitewash. Pacer Wafadar Momand bowled a beamer that angled across the batter Kamindu Mendis, who swung and missed at the delivery. He immediately looked to the square-leg umpire Hannibal for a possible no-ball, but the umpire remained unmoved.
The no-call proved costly in the end as the hosts suffered a three-run defeat.
When asked about the incident at the post-match conference, Hasaranga did not hold back and said:
"That kind of thing shouldn't happen in an international match. 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."
Despite the umpire deeming it a fair delivery, Mendia asked for a review of the no-ball. However, the ICC playing conditions currently in operation do not allow player reviews for umpire decisions that do not involve possible dismissals.
"If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well" - Wanindu Hasaranga
Wanindu Hasaranga was also critical of the Review system and said that the third umpire should be able to check all types of no-balls, not only the front-foot ones.
Despite potentially costing Sri Lanka a win in the game, they fortunately already had the series sealed with victories in the first two T20Is of the three-match series.
"There was a situation where you could review those calls before, but the ICC has got rid of that. Our batsmen tried to review that. If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well. There's no reason why they can't. They didn't do even that, so I'm not sure what was going on in his (the square-leg umpire's) mind at the time," said Hasaranga.
The decision marred what turned out to be a thrilling encounter to finish off a well-fought series.
On the back of a brilliant 43-ball 70 by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afghanistan scored a massive 209/5 in 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka made a valiant effort with half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis before falling short by three runs.