AFG vs ZIM: 2nd Test – Umpires penalize Afghanistan for bizarre ploy

The ongoing second Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe witnessed a bizarre incident on day three (Friday) when the former were penalised one run after a bizarre incident. The incident took place in the third session of Day 3 when Afghanistan were trying to finish Zimbabwe’s innings. Zimbabwe were on 281 for 8 with middle-order batsman Sikandar Raza (79*) holding one end.

Giving Raza company was Blessing Muzarabani and he was yet to open his account. Raza was on strike and was looking to take the single in order to retain the strike for the next over. On the last ball of the over, Raza hit a yorker through the cover region. The ball stopped inches short of the boundary ropes as the Zimbabwe duo crossed their ends.

Afghanistan wanted to have a full crack at @BLESSINGMUZARA1 and perhaps that’s why to deny strike to @SRazaB24, Shahidi while fielding had one foot over the boundary. The umpires rightfully decided to give penalty for that deliberate effort by the fielder.
#AFGvZIM pic.twitter.com/nzVi8zC784

— Satendra Singh, MD (@drsitu) March 12, 2021

Afghanistan fielder Hashmatullah Shahidi, however, tried an unusual ploy to try and keep Raza off the strike. He picked the ball and deliberately put one of his feet outside the boundary ropes. A boundary would have meant Muzarabani taking the strike on the first ball of the next over. The on-field umpires Ahmed Shah Pakteen and Aleem Dar, however, had other ideas.

They had a brief chat and then decided to penalize Afghanistan one run, citing rule 19.8 of The Laws of Cricket. The decision eventually saw Raza returning to the strike on the very next ball. The rule states, ‘If the boundary results from an overthrow or from the willful act of a fielder, the runs scored shall be any runs for penalties awarded to either side and the allowance for the boundary and the runs completed by the batsmen, together with the run in progress if they had already crossed at the instant of the throw or act.’