Former Indian international-level umpire Anil Chaudhary delivered his take on the catch by Sanju Samson during the India-Pakistan clash to dismiss Fakhar Zaman, saying that to him it seemed the batter was out and there was no evidence that the ball touched the ground.
During the clash with Pakistan, Sanju’s catch to dismiss Fakhar became a point of debate. The replays generated divided opinions, with some pointing out that the ball had touched the ground before Sanju caught it, while many others claimed it to be a clean catch. Pakistan’s team management also protested against the decision, as per Saama TV.
Speaking about the catch to ANI, Anil said that the TV umpire could have used a side angle, but to him, it seemed out and there was no proper evidence of the ball touching the ground before being gloved by Sanju.
“There is protocol for catches. Soft signal has been stopped by the on-field umpires. Whatever the TV umpire stands. They (TV umpires) could have taken a side angle, but there is a different way for each umpire. He must have been satisfied with his front angle. There are plenty of such calls that are debated for years. From the front, it sometimes seems that the ball touched the ground, but it is not always like that. Side view is always better for such decisions. There was no evidence that the ball touched the ground. To me it seemed out too,” said Anil.
On the demise of legendary English umpire Dickie Bird, Anil said that at one point, he was a massive brand when it came to umpiring and played a crucial role in creating the image of what an umpire should be.
Anil recalled that while he never got to meet him personally, he did see him umpiring a match in Delhi.
-TIN Bureau