Hawk-Eye has apologized to the PCB in a letter after acknowledging the error that occurred during Islamabad United’s three-wicket loss to Quetta Gladiators on Thursday, ESPNcricinfo understands.
The incident occurred during the Gladiators’ 11th inning. Gladiators captain Rilee Rossouw moved after the final over and tried to sweep Salman Ali Agha but missed, with the ball hitting his front pad. Aleem Dar backed a spirited challenge from the fielders and the Gladiators promptly reviewed it.
Hawk-Eye eventually found not only that the ball hit the left-hander outside the line of the stumps, but that it would also miss the stumps. When it was shown on the big screen, both fielder and umpire Dar looked visibly surprised as the slow-motion footage showed the ball straightening instead of sticking and spinning. Still images of the impact on the pad also suggested a potential disparity between where the ball hit Rossouw and where Hawk-Eye watched the ball hit him, with the former much more likely to be in line with the stumps.
The letter addressed to PCB’s COO Salman Naseer and the production department accepts that the ball tracking for the delivery in question did not reflect the path of the actual delivery that was sent for inspection. It is not yet clear what caused the error.
After the game, during an on-screen interview, Shadab Khan, the Islamabad captain, did little to hide his frustrations.
“I think the technology made a mistake,” he said. “Ball tracking showed a different delivery and it was a match-changing moment. Things like that should be dealt with properly in such a big tournament. These mistakes shouldn’t happen. I bowled four overs here as a leg-pinner and I don’t think the ball was spinning here .And they showed Agha [Salman] hitting the stump and spinning away.
Shadab’s frustration was compounded by how delicately the match had been prepared. The Gladiators built a partnership after losing four early wickets, with Sherfane Rutherford and Rossouw rebuilding. The Gladiators were 82 for 4 with nine overs remaining and needed 57 more to win. What made them particularly vulnerable was the long tail, with United believing they could open the game with a breakthrough.
As things progressed, the duo struck up a partnership that put the game beyond United’s reach. They put on 62 for the 5th wicket, with Rossouw not out on 34 all out.
