Poor umpiring cost England the second T20I, says Eoin Morgan
What’s the story?
England captain Eoin Morgan expressed his disappointment over the umpire’s decision to rule Joe Root out as the replays suggested that there was a big inside edge before the ball hit the pad. He also conceded that the wicket of Root swung the momentum in favour of India and wanted the ICC to consider bringing in the Decision Review System (DRS) in the T20 format.
He was also unhappy with the decision that went against his team when Chris Jordan’s delivery struck Virat Kohli’s pad plumb in front of the stumps but the Umpire refused to raise his finger. He later revealed that Root’s dismissal in the 20th over hurt his team more than Kohli surviving earlier in the match.
"I don't think that (Kohli's decision) was what cost us the game as we were in a commanding position throughout. I would probably say the decision that didn't go our way at the start of the 20th cost us a lot more. and it swung momentum in their favour quite a lot. It's disappointing, and it proved quite costly in the end. If that happened in a big game in a World T20, you would be fuming with that decision. When there is a lot on the line - like if that was in a World T20 - you might have to consider bringing in DRS. Umpires are human, they do make mistakes,” said Morgan in the post-match press conference.
In case you didn’t know...
After losing the first T20I, India bounced back and got the better of England by 5 runs in the second match of the three-match series at the VCA stadium in Nagpur. With this win, the series is level at 1-1 with the final match scheduled to be played in Bengaluru on February 1.
The heart of the matter
Chasing 145 on a wicket that had a lot of assistance for the bowlers, England were cruising towards victory before Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra pulled things back with some brilliant bowling performances in the death overs.
England went into the last over needing 8 runs to seal the series and had Joe Root and Jos Buttler at the crease. The first ball of the over saw the Indians appealing for a leg before wicket to dismiss Root and the umpire, C Shamshuddin raised his finger without any hesitation. Though it looked plumb, the replays suggested that there was a big inside edge and Root was unlucky to be dismissed for 38. Bumrah went on to castle Buttler later in the over and earned India a 5-run win.
Also read: India vs England 2017, 2nd T20I- Rating the Indian cricketers
What's next?
England skipper Morgan wasn’t pleased with the decision and termed it as the turning point of the match. Morgan went on to admit that he would be fuming with that decision if it had happened in a crucial World T20 game. The Irish-born England skipper also wanted the ICC to consider implementing the DRS as the umpires are human beings and they do tend to make mistakes.
Sportskeeda’s take
After a blunder that cost his side the match, Morgan was right in expressing his disappointment and conveying his desire to bring DRS into T20 matches. But, given that T20 is a fast paced game, having DRS in this format will slow down the pace of the match and it is highly unlikely that ICC will implement it due to this reason.