In the game of cricket, the margin of error for a bowler can be affected by factors like swing, seam movement, bounce and the condition of the pitch. When the bowlers are not up to the mark in the above-mentioned elements, they are certain to get punished by the batters. This is why skilled bowlers adjust their lines and lengths accordingly to outsmart the batsmen.
In a wider sense, the margin of error applies to decision-making by the umpires, as they need to make accurate decisions in terms of dismissals or signalling a wide and so on. During the third T20I between India and Australia in Guwahati, Australian players namely Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell were visibly frustrated after the on-field umpire signalled “wide” when the Australian duo thought it wasn’t.
Glenn Maxwell and Matthew unhappy with umpire’s wide ball signal
The incident happened during the fourth ball of the last over as Glenn Maxwell bowled around the wicket to Ruturaj Gaikwad and the latter tried to sweep the ball in the hope of hitting a boundary towards the long leg but didn’t get a connection with his willow. As you can see in the video, Matthew Wade read the ball as he moved to his left and grabbed the ball.
— virat Sharma (@viratSharm69964) November 28, 2023
Upon seeing this, the on-field umpire Virender Sharma signalled “wide” and the Australian duo namely Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade were unhappy with the call. Maxwell, in particular, was constantly raising both hands towards the umpire to explain that it was not wide and the entire drama of the same went viral on social media.
Taking about the game, Ruturaj Gaikwad led India’s batting attack by example as he became the first Indian to hammer a century against Australia in Twenty20 Internationals. His impeccable 123* powered India to 222/3 in 20 overs. On the contrary, Australia chased down the target with the help of Glenn Maxwell as the latter pulled off a batting masterclass in the run-chase to keep his team in the hunt in the series.
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Maxwell who scored 104 off 48 balls including 8 fours and as many sixes was adjudged the Player of the Match. Currently, Team India have the upper hand in the series as they are leading by 2-1, with two more games to go. The fourth match between the two cricketing giants will kick off on December 1, Friday at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.