The second-ever tied Test in history featured several close umpiring decisions that could have changed the outcome either way.
The first Test between India and Australia at Chepauk in Chennai produced only the second tied Test in cricket history (after the famous Brisbane tie of 1960). The match went down to the wire with India's last wicket pair at the crease.
Several umpiring decisions throughout the match were razor-thin. In an era without DRS, LBW calls and caught-behind decisions were entirely at the discretion of the on-field umpires. The pressure on the officials in such a tight match was immense.
India's last man Maninder Singh was given out LBW to Greg Matthews, completing the tie. The decision was debatable — some felt the ball may have been missing leg stump. But without technology, the umpire's word was final.
The tied Test is remembered as one of cricket's greatest matches. But it also served as an early example of how umpiring decisions in close matches can feel disproportionately significant, a theme that would become central to cricket's adoption of technology decades later.
Match tied. The LBW decision against Maninder Singh that completed the tie remains debated but stood.
Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals
29 May 2026
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.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders
26 April 2026
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.