Not Out
Umpiring decisions and their long afterlives.
-
1963
One over, and the career ends
Ian Meckiff’s figures at Brisbane read 1–0–8–0. The deliveries that ended him are not on the scorecard.
-
1995
Seven times on Boxing Day
Darrell Hair called Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing seven times at the MCG. This time the scorecard says so.
-
1987
Day three, no play
A Test match lost an entire day to an argument between a captain and an umpire. The scorecard records it the way it records rain.
-
2008
The umpire who said so afterwards
Steve Bucknor is one of very few officials to state plainly that his mistakes may have cost a side a Test match.
-
2019
Six, and it should have been five
A World Cup was decided on boundary count after an overthrow was signalled six. The umpire who wrote the law says it should have been five.
-
1986
Leg before, scores level
The second tied Test ended on the fifth ball of the last over at Madras in 1986, with an umpire’s finger rather than a throw. The card records Maninder Singh lbw for nought and a match that nobody won.
-
1993
One run, and a decision
Australia needed 186 at Adelaide in January 1993 and were 144 for nine. Tim May and Craig McDermott put on 40. With two needed, McDermott was given out caught behind off Courtney Walsh, and the card notes the narrowest victory in Test cricket. It does not note the argument.
-
1980
Twelve leg-befores, and a kicked stump
New Zealand beat West Indies by one wicket at Dunedin in February 1980, with a leg-bye. The card notes twelve lbw decisions in the match, a record, seven of them for Richard Hadlee. The one that was refused, and what Michael Holding did to the stumps afterwards, is a headline on the card and nothing more.