Was Muneeba Ali Wrongly Given Out During IND vs PAK Women's World Cup Match?

In the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup game between India and Pakistan, an incident forced the game to be delayed for a few minutes during the second innings. Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali refused to leave the ground despite being given out by the third umpire. The decision took everyone by surprise but the match resumed soon.

Earlier, India batted first and were all out for 247 in 50 overs. India's openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana started well but were unable to post a big total. Despite being second on the list of fastest centuries in women's ODI cricket, Mandhana hasn't been at her best this tournament.

But Harleen Deol led the batting line-up and scored 46 runs followed by Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma, who scored 32 and 25 respectively. India finally reached a fighting total on the back of Richa Ghosh's brilliant finish with the bat.

Why did Muneeba Ali Refuse to Leave the Crease?

In reply to chase the target, Pakistan Women were looking steady until a small confusion resulted in Muneeba Ali's wicket. In the end, she paid a heavy price for a mistake. Muneeba Ali survived an LBW shout, but was caught short when her bat rose slightly off the ground for a mili-second as Deepti Sharma's throw at short third hit the stumps.

Unfortunately, the left-hander had to walk back to the pavilion for just 2 runs off 12 balls, and the replay verified the dismissal when the umpire walked upstairs. However, she refused to leave the playing ground as Pakistan captain Fatima Sana kept arguing with the fourth umpire that the batter wasn't intending to go for any run. Sana and the official were spotted chatting animatedly as Ali stood close to the boundary line.

But the third umpire's decision stayed and after a delay, Muneeba left the crease. The third umpire, Kerrin Klaaste, reviewed the images and saw that Ali's bat was in the air when the ball hit the stumps. As a result, she gave it out. It was a huge wicket for India in the IND vs PAK women World Cup game as Muneeba is one of the best batters in Pakistan's line-up. The decision stunned everyone in the Pakistani dugout.

What does the Law State?

If a batter's body or bat is not grounded behind the crease when the fielding side breaks the stumps, they may be given run out in accordance with the MCC Laws of Cricket. If a batter has reached the crease and is not intending any run, then he/she cannot be given out even if the bat is in the air. However, in this case, the umpire assumed that the batter might be intending to take another run and thus, gave it out. Replays showed that Muneeba Ali was out of her ground because her bat was in the air for a fraction of a second when Deepti's throw hit the stumps. Pakistan's skipper Fatima Sana kept arguing with the fourth umpire but to no avail. The Muneeba Ali run out controversy is likely to be the headline of this game.

In order to win the game and defeat India for the first time ever in ODIs, Pakistan are chasing 248 runs. The greatest rivalry in cricket hasn't quite lived up to the expectations in women's cricket as the Women in Blue have been highly dominant over their opponents.