During the series concluding 3rd ODI between India and Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the Indian team started their run chase with a rare advantage. Before a single ball was even bowled in the 2nd innings, India’s scoreboard was already at 5/0 which triggered obvious confusion among fans.
This unusual situation happened due to an official penalty issued to Afghanistan by the umpires. The penalty was a result of a violation by the Afghan team in 1st innings.
The real reason for the 5-run penalty was that Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, who scored his maiden one-day century, repeatedly ran on the danger area of the pitch while batting.
Under MCC Law 41.14, batters are not allowed to run down the protected area, which is the central part of the pitch in order to avoid causing damage to the playing surface. During the 40th over of Afghanistan’s innings, Shahidi breached this restricted area for the 2nd time in the match.
Since the team had already received their first and final warning from on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit, the 2nd time caused an immediate penalty. The single run Shahidi took on that specific delivery was disallowed and 5 penalty runs were officially awarded to India. That’s why, the Men in Blue started their chase at 5 for none.
More to follow..
