A strange sequence of events during the Women’s ODI World Cup clash between India and Pakistan in Colombo left both teams puzzled when Muneeba Ali was run out in unusual circumstances. The moment, which came in the fourth over of Pakistan’s chase, led to several minutes of confusion involving the umpires, third umpire, and players from both sides.
A Rare Run-Out Situation Unfolds
The incident began when Kranti Goud bowled an inswinger and India appealed for an lbw against Muneeba. While she wasn’t attempting a run, Muneeba had stepped outside her crease to play the ball and then dragged her bat back to safety. However, in the same moment, Deepti Sharma’s direct throw from the slip cordon hit the stumps.
Initially, Muneeba appeared safe — her bat had crossed the crease — but replays revealed she lifted it briefly while the ball hit the stumps, leaving her technically out of her ground.
According to ICC Playing Condition 30.1.2, a batter is not considered out of their ground only when they are “running or diving towards her ground”. Since Muneeba was merely stepping back, not running or diving, this exception didn’t apply.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓,” 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏-𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏.
Third Umpire Decision Adds to the Chaos
The real drama came when the big screen first flashed “Not Out”, prompting the Indian players to reset their field positions. Moments later, however, the decision was reversed to “Out”, sparking celebrations from India and visible frustration from Muneeba, who sought clarification from the umpires.
It appeared that third umpire Kerrin Klaaste initially cleared her before spotting in the replays that Muneeba had lifted her bat momentarily. After reviewing the complete footage, the verdict was changed.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔 — 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆.
Prolonged Delay and Final Confirmation
Even after the on-field confirmation, Muneeba paused near the boundary as Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana and teammates sought a review from fourth umpire Kim Cotton. The situation caused a delay far longer than a typical run-out decision. Eventually, after receiving final clarification, Muneeba walked off, leaving Pakistan 6 for 1 after four overs.
Ironically, replays later showed she might have also been lbw on the same delivery had India chosen to review it. The incident added yet another layer of drama to an already intense India–Pakistan contest at the World Cup.
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