On Monday, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) confirmed that Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali was rightly given out during the India vs Pakistan Women’s World Cup 2025 match in Colombo. The incident occurred in the fourth over of Pakistan’s innings when India bowler Deepti Sharma’s delivery hit Muneeba on the pads, and India appealed for an LBW.

The on-field umpire initially said “not out,” but Deepti quickly threw the ball at the stumps while Muneeba was still standing outside her crease with her bat in the air. The third umpire reviewed the play and gave her out, a decision that caused significant debate among fans and players. Some people thought the ball was "dead" following the LBW appeal, which meant that the game had stopped.

The MCC later stated that because the umpire had called "not out" and the ball was still in motion, the ball remained "live", allowing the run out to stand.They also explained that the “bouncing bat law,” which protects batters who accidentally lift their bat while running, did not apply because Muneeba was not running or diving back to her crease. She was merely standing with her bat raised.

MCC Explains Rules Behind Controversial Run-Out

“There are a number of pieces of Law to consider here. The first, and simplest, is that just because there was a vociferous appeal for LBW, the ball had clearly not become Dead. The appeal had been answered Not Out, the ball was not finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper, and Deepti’s act alone is a demonstration that not all the players considered it Dead. The ball remains in play,” MCC wrote on its website. “She had taken guard from beyond the popping crease and at no time did her feet move back into her ground.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Pakistan’s players were unhappy with the decision, with captain Fatima Sana discussing it with the fourth umpire. Despite the controversy, India won the match comfortably by 88 runs, highlighted by strong performances from Harleen Deol (46 runs) and Richa Ghosh (35 off 20 balls). Kranti Gaud led the bowling attack, taking three wickets.