During Ben Stokes' miraculous Headingley chase, Jack Leach survived an LBW appeal that was given 'umpire's call' on review, allowing the legendary partnership to continue.
The 2019 Headingley Test produced one of cricket's greatest ever innings — Ben Stokes' unbeaten 135 to chase down 359 in the fourth innings. But the innings nearly ended prematurely when last man Jack Leach survived an LBW appeal.
With England still needing runs, Nathan Lyon appealed for LBW against Leach. The on-field umpire gave not out. Australia reviewed, and ball tracking showed the ball was hitting the stumps — but with less than 50% of the ball, making it "umpire's call." The original not-out decision stood.
Had the on-field umpire given it out, the same ball tracking would have upheld the decision, meaning Australia were disadvantaged by the binary nature of umpire's call. This added fuel to the ongoing debate about the umpire's call protocol.
Leach survived and memorably scored 1 not out from 17 balls while Stokes smashed the Australian bowling to all parts. The 76-run last-wicket partnership is etched in cricket folklore. But the umpire's call decision on Leach was a sliding-door moment that the entire outcome hinged upon.
Umpire's call — not out stood. One of the most consequential umpire's call decisions in cricket history. Stokes went on to win the match.
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The Qualifier 2 toss between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur had to be conducted twice after match referee Prakash Bhatt failed to hear Riyan Parag's call — a visible frustration for Shubman Gill who appeared to have won the original toss before the do-over.
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Kartik Tyagi bowled two beamers in the final over of LSG's chase but was allowed to continue — umpires called only one dangerous — sparking IPL fury.
Various county and representative sides
1864-06-01
The legalisation of overarm bowling in 1864 created an immediate grey zone: how high could the arm go, and at what point did a fast delivery become an illegal throw? Through the 1860s English cricket struggled with this question as a succession of fast bowlers developed actions that umpires suspected but rarely no-balled, creating a climate of suspicion that would recur in every generation of cricket thereafter.