Virat Kohli’s 48th century: Did umpire Richard Kettleborough ‘help’ VK get to his 100 by not giving Wide Ball? Explained
Lots are being said about umpire Richard Kettleborough after he decided against giving a Wide. India needed 2 runs to win when Nasum Ahmed was bowling and Virat Kohli was at 97. The ball went down the leg side. As we know, in limited-over cricket, any delivery that goes down the leg side is immediately called a Wide Ball. But, that did not happen.
Many are alleging that Kettleborough did that deliberately so that Kohli could get to his hundred. Some are sarcastically saying that the umpire should be given the “Player of the Match” award while some believe that the umpires panel should take this seriously.
“Now onwards Cricket has been rigged by the selfish act by Chokli and the umpire Richard Kettleborough,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). “Give him a medal for best umpire of all time,” said another.
Change of Wide Ball rules
“If the bowler bowls a ball, not being a No ball, the umpire shall adjudge it a Wide if, according to the definition in 22.1.2, the ball passes wide of where the striker is standing and which also would have passed wide of the striker standing in a normal guard position,” Wisden quoted Clause 22.1.1 in the MCC Laws of Cricket as saying.
“The ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker unless it is sufficiently within reach for him to be able to hit it with the bat by means of a normal cricket stroke,” says Clause 22.1.2.
However, this rule was amended (wef October 2021) “so that a Wide will apply to where the batter is standing, where the striker has stood at any point since the bowler began their run up, and which would also have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting position”.
So, was that a Wide Ball?
If you see Virat Kohli’s initial position (“since the bowler began their run up”), the ball would have reached him. However, he moved and the ball went down the leg. So, it seems like it was a fair call by Kettleborough.
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Nevertheless, even if it was called a Wide Ball, VK could have still hit a six and gotten to his hundred.
Controversy around not taking singles
King Kohli is also under fire for turning down chances for easy singles so that he could retain strike for his century. KL Rahul, Kohli’s partner at that stage, later revealed what went on Kohli’s mind.
“He was confused, actually. He said, ‘it would not look too nice to not take a single, it is still a World Cup match. It’s a big stage, and I don’t want to look like I want to get a milestone’. But I said, ‘it is not won but we will still win it quite easily, so if you can get to the milestone, why not. You must try’. And he did that in the end and I wasn’t going to run singles!” Rahul told Star Sports.
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Updated: 20 Oct 2023, 10:22 AM IST
