ICC clarify boundary catch law

Following last week’s incident involving Mahendra Dhoni and Daren Ganga, the ICC have clarified the rules regarding the matter.

The aforementioned incident occured in the first Test between West Indies and India last week. Mahendra Dhoni holed out to Daren Ganga on the midwicket fence, who claimed to have taken the catch inside the ropes. The umpires were unsure, so they referred it to the third umpire, but TV replays proved inconclusive. This resulted in widespread confusion on the field as it was referred back to the on field umpires, and the incident was eventually resolved after Dhoni decided to take the fielder’s word.

The protocol that the ICC released today clarifies the rules for decisions where there is doubt over whether a player had infringed the boundary.

The protocol, which comes into immediate effect, states that if the on-field umpires are unsure they refer the decision to the third umpire, who only decides whether a boundary has been scored or not. However, if the replays are inconclusive, the benefit of the doubt should be given to the fielder, meaning that no boundary will be awarded. This in turn means that if an incident such as that in Antigua does occur, the catch will stand.

The reasons for releasing the protocol were explained by Dave Richardson, ICC General Manager: “The confusion in Antigua arose over what the third umpire was required to adjudicate on – a boundary or a dismissal, That confusion created understandable frustration among players and spectators and the clarification of this protocol should ensure a similar situation does not arise in the future.”