The Pakistan cricket squad is under fire once more after a contentious incident occurred during their Tuesday encounter against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup 2023.
Centurion Kusal Mendis attempted to knock a slower delivery from Hasan Ali high in the air in the 29th over during Sri Lanka’s innings, but he was ultimately caught by Imam-ul-Haq over deep mid-wicket.
Imam completed the catch within the playing area despite being quite right next to the boundary rope. Mendis had to return to the pavilion after scoring 122 runs off 77 balls, comprising 14 fours as well as six sixes.
Even though Imam took the catch cleanly to send Mendis back, internet users soon saw something was off. Cricket fans saw how the boundary rope had been placed behind the line rather than where it should have been. Imam then fell directly on the rope, but while it was being pushed back, he didn’t touch it.
The veracity of the catch was soon questioned on social media, with some even charging Pakistan players for repositioning the boundary line from its original location.
After their initial match against the Netherlands, the rope was observed at least a foot past its original location. The Pakistan squad came under the scrutiny of internet users for the boundary line problems for the second time. If the journalists ask Babar Azam about this, it would surely be interesting to see the skipper’s opinion of this.
MCC law ruling for boundary rope positioning
In the majority of international contests, the boundary is designated by an uninterrupted white line. Using a boundary cushion, the boundary is typically a continuous poster with various sponsor advertisements.
As per Clause 19.3.2 of the MCC Laws on Boundaries, if the fixed object—in this case, the cushion—marking the boundary is moved for any reason, it must be put back in place as soon as is practically possible, which is after the ball has stopped moving if play is in progress.
