Lahore, February 2: Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly was wrongly given out during the Pakistan vs Australia final T20I at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. Connolly was wrongly given stumping even after Pakistan wicket-keeper Khawaja Nafay broke the stumps with wrong hand. The on-field umpire gave the decision of out directly without referring it to the third umpire.
The dismissal did not meet the requirements laid down by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the current playing conditions. The incident occurred at a crucial stage of the match and the dismissal has raised debate online after the television replays highlighted a clear rule violation in the game.
Australia Struggling
Chasing a challenging and massive target of 208 runs, Australia found themselves in deep trouble when Cooper Connolly walked in to bat with the score reaching 82/6 and the game was already slipping away from the Australians.
Connolly had faced just two deliveries before being given out and the wrong decision from the umpire diminished Australia's hopes of winning the game.
Nafay Breaks Stumps With Wrong Hand
Connolly charged down the pitch against Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz and failed to connect the ball. The ball turned and was sharply going down the leg side. Pakistani wicket-keeper Khawaja Nafay collected the ball and broke the stumps before Connolly could return to the crease.
Wrong Decision
The on-field leg umpire gave the decision of out in no time, further reducing Australia to 82/7. However, the replay showed that Nafay was holding the ball in his right hand while he broke the stumps with his left hand. The detail went unnoticed during the match. However, the video went viral on the internet with the cricket fans criticising the umpire's wrong decision.
ICC Rule
As per the Clause 29.2.1 of the ICC Men's T20 playing conditions, a wicket is fairly broken if the ball is held in the same hand used to remove the bails or uproot the stumps. Since this condition was not meant, the stumping should not have been considered valid and Connolly should have been given not out.
Australia's Biggest Defeat Ever
Following the wrong dismissal Australia faced their heaviest defeat ever in T20I history as they were all out for only 96 runs and lost the game to Pakistan by a margin of 111 runs.
Clean Sweep
Pakistan managed to clean sweep the 3-match T20I series against Australia after handing them their biggest defeats in T20 cricket just days ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Upcoming ICC T20 World Cup Fixtures
Australia will now play their only warm-up game against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 5 and Pakistan will face Ireland in their warm-up game on 4 before beginning their World Cup campaign against Ireland and the Netherlands on February 11 and February 7 respectively.
