4 Most controversial umpire decisions in Asia Cup history

Asia Cup is one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world, which has produced many great moments on the field in the last 40 years. During the last decade or so, the rivalry among the Asian nations has gone beyond the traditional power centres like India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The emerging cricket nations, including the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan have added more spice to the cricketing discourse in Asia in recent times. This has meant that the big teams have to raise their game to the next level to ensure that they don’t lose their top billing in the continent.Also Read: 3 Funniest Bloopers and Mishaps in Asia Cup history Due to this phenomenon, the quality of players in Asia have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years, which is quite similar to the rising standards of umpiring in the continent. But still, from time to time, these players and umpires do experience tough moments in their careers, especially during the highly octane cricket spectacle such as the Asia Cup. With that, SportsTigers looks back at the four most controversial umpire decisions in Asia Cup history.1. Rohit Sharma fumes after umpire gives Asif Ali not out on DRS following a spike on ultraedge During the must-win clash between India and Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2022, when Asif Ali went for a pull on a drag down delivery from Ravi Bishnoi in the 18th over of the run chase, he missed his stroke altogether. Rohit Sharma went for the DRS straight away, wherein the ultraedge showed a spike when the ball was next to the bat/glove. But, in a surprising turn of events for many, the third umpire took his time to not overturn the on-field decision, which led to the Indian captain confronting the on-field umpire in his face. India went on to lose the pulsating encounter on the second last ball of the match by five wickets. #PAGE_BREAK#2. Umpire calls for DRS despite Pakistan captain Babar Azam not asking for it When Pakistan faced off against Sri Lanka in the final match of the Super Four stage in the Asia Cup 2022, they had posted a below par total on the board. In the 16th over, when the captain Dasun Shanaka was looking to guide his team to victory, he missed a ramp stroke off the back of a length delivery from Hasan Ali. The on-field umpire went for a DRS upstairs, while thinking that the Pakistan captain Babar Azam asked for it, but it wasn’t the case. The miscommunication led to the waste of a review for the Men in Green when the third umpire upheld the decision on the field, leading to a five-wicket loss for them against Sri Lanka. #PAGE_BREAK#3. Pathum Nissanka gets sent back to the pavilion by umpire on DRS even after no visible spike on ultraedge In the group stages of Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka suffered a horrible loss against Afghanistan by eight wickets with 59 balls remaining, to kick-start their tournament. During their batting innings, the Sri Lankan team had a horrible start, losing two wickets in the first over against a rampant Fazalhaq Farooqi. On the final ball of the second over, the fuller length delivery bowled by Naveen-ul-Haq, the opener Pathum Nissanka went for a drive, but it ended up in the hands of the wicketkeeper, which led to the on-field giving him out. He took a review, wherein the ultraedge didn’t show any visible spike, but still, the third umpire gave him his marching orders, which stunned the Sri Lanka coaching staff and fans worldwide. #PAGE_BREAK#4. MS Dhoni voices his frustration in presentation after umpire gives him lbw with the ball missing the stumps on hawk-eye The first ever tied ODI match between India and Afghanistan during the Asia Cup 2018 Super Four stages, was a memorable encounter in more ways than one. It showcased how good a nation Afghanistan can become in the world of cricket, while bringing out the rare sight of MS Dhoni, voicing his frustration for everyone to hear in the post-match presentation. The contentious moment occurred during Team India’s pursuit of a 253-run target, when MS Dhoni was given out lbw off the bowling of Javed Ahmadi. The wicket-keeper batter felt that the ball was probably missing the leg stump on camera, which was proven to be the case on hawk-eye, but he couldn’t send it upstairs because India didn’t have a DRS left.

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4 Most controversial umpire decisions in Asia Cup history