AUS vs SA, ICC World Cup 2023: Umpiring steals spotlight in Australia’s drubbing by South Africa

Two of Australia’s dismissals, of Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis, were questionable umpiring calls as South Africa beat the five-time men’s ODI World Cup winner by 134 runs.

Stoinis (left) was subject of a controversial decision when he was adjudged caught behind on review. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Australia’s biggest defeat in World Cup history was marred by two third-umpire decisions that didn’t go in favour of Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis.

Smith was adjudged leg-before-wicket on review after ball-tracking showed the ball was going on to hit leg-stump even though at first it looked like it would miss the stump.

“I was looking at the screen and I actually said to Joel [Wilson] (one of the on-field umpires), ‘good decision’. Because from front-on, it just looked like it was going down leg straightaway. I felt like the angle was pushing down leg,” Labuschagne said after the match.

Wait, what?: A surprised Steve Smith walks back after being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada of South Africa at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/Sandeep Saxena

Meanwhile, the bowler on that occasion, Kagiso Rabada, also said that he was expecting an ‘umpire’s call’ outcome of the review.

“I was hoping for ‘umpires call’. I felt as if it just skidded through and didn’t really bounce much... The technology favoured us today, but I thought it was close. I don’t think it was as obvious as ‘missing’,” Rabada said.

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Stoinis was also the subject of a controversial decision when he was adjudged caught behind on review because the television umpire reckoned his bottom hand, off which the ball went to the wicketkeeper, was in contact with the top hand even though it had come off the bat handle.

Stunned Stoinis: Australia’s Marcus Stoinis talks to umpires while walking back after being dismissed. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/Sandeep Saxena

Labuschagne revealed that he, along with Stoinis, asked the on-field umpires whether they had checked the side-on angle, which would have given a clearer picture, and that even from the front-on view, he felt there was daylight between the two gloves and the bat handle.

Rabada, the bowler on this occasion too, said that the South Africans felt the ball had gone off the handle of the bat.

“I initially thought it hit his thigh pad and my teammates around me felt that they heard a woody sound. Stoinis didn’t look so convincing. I think he looked as if he felt he had touched it,” he said.