T20 WC 2024: DRS Drama Costs Bangladesh a Crucial Win Over South Africa

New York: In a nail-biting T20 World Cup 2024 match, South Africa narrowly defeated Bangladesh by 4 runs on Monday. The game took a dramatic turn due to a contentious DRS decision that denied Bangladesh crucial runs in the final overs.

Bangladesh looked set for victory, needing just 27 runs from the last 4 overs. During the 17th over, a pivotal moment occurred when Mahmudullah and Towid Hridoy were at the crease. Mahmudullah flicked a delivery that struck his pads and raced to the boundary. The umpire, responding to a strong appeal from the South Africans, raised his finger, declaring Mahmudullah out.

Bangladesh challenged the decision, and the DRS review showed the ball would have missed the stumps. Consequently, the umpire reversed his decision. However, due to ICC regulations, the boundary was not added to Bangladesh’s score, as the ball was considered dead once the umpire initially signalled out.

The ICC rule states that if a decision is overturned from out to not out, the ball remains dead from the moment the original decision was made. This rule, as outlined in clause 20.1.1.3, meant that Bangladesh couldn’t claim the 4 leg byes that would have otherwise been awarded.

This DRS loophole ultimately influenced the match outcome, leaving Bangladesh fans and players frustrated by the narrow defeat.