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The 2016 under-19 World Cup saw a lot of great performances and a few controversies related to age funding, umpires' decisions going wrong among others. But one thing that hogged the limelight is the way West Indies won their must-win match against Zimbabwe and qualified for the next round.
With three runs to win off six balls and just one opposition wicket left, the Windies captain threw the ball to Keemo Paul. As Paul went to deliver the first delivery, he saw the non-striker Richard Ngarava backing up just a touch and took the bails off.
Ngarava was given out, the Windies went on to qualify for the final and eventually win the tournament. Paul didn't quite enter his delivery stride and he was within the laws of the game to do that.
A similar incident took place in the ongoing 2018 under-19 World Cup where South African opener Jiveshan Pillay was given out ‘obstructing the field’ in the Group A clash against West Indies in Tauranga.
In the fourth ball of the 16th over bowled by Jarion Hoyte, Pillay chased down a wide ball that took the inside edge of his bat and was rolling towards the stumps before it stopped by itself.
Pillay was helping the opposition by picking the ball with his hand and threw it to the wicketkeeper Emmanuel Stewart, who is also the captain of the West Indies under-19 team. He collected the ball and straightaway appealed for obstructing the field.
The on-field umpires were convinced and sent it upstairs where the third umpire Ranmore Martinez gave the decision in favour of the fielding team,in keeping in line with the ICC code of conduct. Law 37.4, which deals with ‘returning the ball to a fielder’, states: “Either batsman is out Obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/her person to return the ball to any fielder.”
But, in Pillay's case, the ball stopped moving when he picked it and it is not that he used his hand to stop the ball from hitting the stumps.
Though the mode of dismissal was completely within the laws of the game, the Windies skipper could have shown some sportsman's spirit and not appealed for obstructing the field, especially after the ball stopped by itself and the batsman was just helping him by picking up the ball.
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