AUS vs WI: Australia’s oversight allows Alzarri Joseph to escape run-out in Adelaide

In the second T20I against West Indies, Australia were denied Alzarri Joseph’s wicket due to a bizarre sequence of events that left players, fans, and commentators scratching their heads. Notably, the drama unfolded in the penultimate over of the West Indies’ run chase. Looking for a quick single, Joseph nudged the ball towards cover and sprinted towards the non-striker’s end. 

However, skipper Mitchell Marsh, stationed at cover, collected the ball and fired it back to Spencer Johnson, who broke the stumps. Interestingly, none of the Australian players appealed as Johnson immediately went back to take his mark. On-field umpire Gerard Abood was left standing as he was heard saying ‘No appeal’ to the TV umpire over the radio.

Things quickly changed when the video was shown on the giant screen at the Adelaide Oval. Australian players started celebrating but the on-field umpire was unmoved and clarified that there was no formal appeal from any Australian players and asked Johnson to continue with the over. However, the hosts were flabbergasted and had heated discussions with the umpires. On the other hand, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief but Australia’s carelessness on the field went viral on social media.

Australia won the match by 34 runs

Despite the controversy, Australia won the match comfortably by 34 runs. Glenn Maxwell’s blistering knock of 120* runs off 55 deliveries helped Australia post 241 runs, which was enough for the Kangaroos to get over the line. Mitchell Marsh and Tim David played good cameos as Australia looked to be in the driver’s seat after the first innings.

West Indies, on the other hand, showed a lot of character and put up a strong fight. Rovman Powell smashed 63 runs off 36 deliveries, while Andre Russell hit 37 runs off 16 deliveries. Later on, Jason Holder played a cameo of 28 runs off 16 deliveries but that didn’t get them close to Australia’s total. Meanwhile, Maxwell was adjudged Player of the Match for his incredible show.