Shoaib Akhtar's Near No-Ball — Sachin Bowled, 2003 WC

The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup Super Six stage brought together the tournament's best teams for a round-robin to decide the semi-finalists. The India-Pakistan match at Centurion Park on 1 March 2003 was the fixture everyone had circled — it was the first World Cup meeting between the two rivals since India's win in the 1996 quarter-final, and it carried all the political and emotional weight of the subcontinent rivalry.

Shoaib Akhtar was, at that time, arguably the fastest bowler on the planet. He had recorded 161.3 km/h at the previous World Cup and was the key threat Pakistan posed to any batting line-up. Against India, the spotlight fell on the Shoaib-Sachin duel — two of cricket's biggest personalities and biggest talents facing off on cricket's biggest stage.

Tendulkar had struggled somewhat for form in the lead-up to this game but had a record of performing in high-pressure India-Pakistan encounters. The match was one the entire cricket world was watching, making every early umpiring decision feel magnified beyond its actual significance.

India batted first and needed a solid platform. Tendulkar walked in at number two — his usual position in ODIs — amid enormous expectation. Shoaib was steaming in off his long run, generating serious pace. The crease of the Centurion pitch had pace and bounce that suited Akhtar.

Early in Tendulkar's innings, Shoaib delivered a thunderbolt that crashed into the stumps. The crowd erupted — then paused. Umpire Rudi Koertzen raised his arm horizontally — no-ball. Replays appeared to show Akhtar's foot was on or near the line, though some angles made the call look marginal. The dismissal was cancelled and Tendulkar survived.

What followed was one of the great ODI innings. Tendulkar counter-attacked, repeatedly lifting Akhtar over the infield with crunching upper-cuts that became the iconic images of the match. He finished with 98 from 75 balls, guiding India to 273/7 before India bowled Pakistan out for 173. The no-ball moment was where the match turned.

The India-Pakistan clash in the 2003 World Cup at Centurion is remembered for Sachin Tendulkar's masterful 98 and India's emphatic victory. However, early in his innings, Tendulkar was beaten and bowled by Shoaib Akhtar.

But wait — umpire Steve Bucknor had already given a wide for the delivery. However, it was Tendulkar's counter-attacking innings that followed which raised umpiring questions. Multiple Shoaib Akhtar deliveries throughout the match appeared to be marginal front-foot calls, with the Pakistani speedster regularly pushing the limits.

Akhtar's front-foot no-ball issues were a recurring problem throughout his career. He was frequently criticized for overstepping, and the lack of consistent enforcement was seen as an advantage for the Pakistan pace attack.

The match is best remembered for Tendulkar's magnificent upper-cuts off Akhtar, but the front-foot umpiring across the series highlighted a systemic issue with no-ball detection that would only be resolved years later with technology.

“I didn't know it was a no-ball. I just knew I was still in. Then I decided to play my natural game.”

“That was on the line, maybe over. But the umpire has to decide in a fraction of a second. It's not easy.”

“The upper-cut was the shot of the tournament. Whatever happened with the no-ball, that innings was extraordinary.”

“Sachin was always going to be difficult. But we gifted him that reprieve and he made us pay.”

India went on to win the match convincingly and progress to the semi-finals, where they lost to Kenya — though that match had its own weather complications. The Tendulkar-Shoaib no-ball became the talking point for weeks after the tournament.

Pakistan were incensed. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis both alluded to the marginal nature of the call in post-match press conferences, though they stopped short of accusing the umpire of an error. The ICC did not review the decision retroactively.

The incident accelerated conversations about automated no-ball detection technology. For years, the front-foot call had been one of cricket's most inconsistently enforced Laws, especially for fast bowlers who were known to push the limits. It took more than a decade for the IPL to begin trialling automated no-ball tech in 2020, with more widespread adoption following.