New Delhi: The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has lodged an official complaint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over an alleged scoring error that proved costly for its women’s Under-19 team in a T20 championship pre-quarter-final against Uttarakhand.
Jharkhand lost the knockout match by just one run while chasing a target of 135 in Nagpur last week. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, a run completed before a run-out in the final over was not credited by the scorers, potentially changing the outcome of the match.
Jharkhand were 127/7 at the end of 19 overs, needing eight runs from the final six deliveries. They scored three runs off the first three balls, leaving them five short with three deliveries remaining.
The crucial incident occurred on the fourth ball, when Lakshmi Kumari was run out while attempting a second run with Eshika Bhagat at the crease. The report said the batters had completed one run before the dismissal, but the scorers recorded the run-out without adding that run to Jharkhand’s total.
As a result, Jharkhand were left needing five runs from the final two balls. Uttarakhand bowler Kanika Negi then bowled a wide, reducing the target to four runs from two deliveries.
On the next ball, No. 10 batter Isha was run out while attempting a second run, with the run being credited. Jharkhand consequently needed three runs from the final delivery.
Bhagat faced the last ball, but No. 11 batter Ishika Deepak was also run out as the batters attempted to complete two runs. Jharkhand ultimately fell one run short. JSCA has argued that had the earlier completed run been recorded, the team’s equation would have been different.
Coach seeks review of the disputed decision
Jharkhand head coach Jaskaran Singh called for the incident to be examined, describing the defeat as particularly disappointing because the team had reached the knockout stage of the women’s Under-19 competition for the first time.
“This was the first time Jharkhand had qualified for the knockouts of the women’s Under-19, so the result is extremely disappointing,” Singh said, according to ESPNcricinfo. He added that tournaments of this kind were particularly important for young players.
Singh said the team had reviewed the video of the final over internally before submitting its complaint and believed the scoring error was clear. He added that the matter had been brought to match referee Anupa Narvekar’s attention immediately after the post-match presentation.
The coach expressed hope that the complaint would be examined and that measures would be taken to prevent similar errors in future matches.
The JSCA has now sought the BCCI’s attention to the disputed scoring decision. The outcome of the complaint and whether any corrective action will follow were not stated in the report.
-IANS