Top four moments when umpires miscounted an over in modern-day cricket ft Pak vs Ned, 2023 ODI World Cup

To err is human. Yes, this saying can't be any truer for the umpires who have been at the forefront of numerous howlers since the very inception of the game. As human beings themselves, they are also entitled to commit mistakes. While umpiring standards have remained questionable for the most part before the post-DRS era, the use of technology has certainly eradicated some of the common blunders that used to be committed time and again by the umpires. 

Although the close caught behind appeals and contentions LBW calls have now been put to rest, thanks to the timely arrival of Snicko and DRS technologies, a rather strange kind of umpiring howler has surfaced in recent times. It has got to do with umpires failing to accurately count the number of balls in an over. Although these instances are a rarity in the contemporary cricket world, when they do, they tend to create an unprecedented buzz throughout the cricketing fraternity. From calling an over prematurely to allowing an additional delivery, here are the top five moments when umpires miscounted an over in modern-day cricket (21st century). 

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Pakistan vs Netherlands, 2023 ODI World Cup

In Pakistan’s 14th over, only five deliveries were bowled. The on-field umpires, Adrian Holdstock and Chris Brown, mistakenly believed a six‑ball over had been completed after Saud Shakeel hit the fifth ball for a boundary. They promptly moved to what they thought was the next over. The TV umpire, Rod Tucker, did not intervene to correct the miscount, and the match continued. Besides, there was no involvement from the scorers and the match referee, either, when the incident occurred. By the time the mistake was uncovered, the game had already progressed by a few overs. As a result, the official scorecard graphic had to be taken down as the correct scores could not be updated on time. After nearly 30-long minutes, the scorecard appears on the TV sets, giving the viewers some clarity regarding the scores. 

Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 2023 ODI tour

In the 47th over of New Zealand’s innings, bowled by Mahedi Hasan, the on-field umpire (Sharfuddoula) lost track of the deliveries. As a result, instead of the regulation six balls, Mahedi Hasan ended up bowling seven deliveries in that over. Fortunately, the extra delivery didn’t influence the match outcome. New Zealand captain Lockie Ferguson swung and missed, and no runs were scored off that illegitimate ball. The error occurred mid to late in New Zealand's reply, during a key phase of the innings. Despite the blunder, there was no tangible consequence on the scoreboard. Bangladesh went on to lose the match by 86 runs, largely thanks to Ish Sodhi’s 6-wicket haul.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 2021 Sri Lanka tour

Another instance of a seven-ball over occurred during South Africa's white-ball tour to Sri Lanka in 2021. During the 1st ODI, one of the on-field umpires miscounted while Aiden Markram was bowling, resulting in a seven-ball over in the 16th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. As Markram was sifting through his deliveries, the scorers had had no time in alerting the on-field umpires about the impending blunder. As a consequence, Sri Lanka went on to win the game by 14 runs, with Markram playing a crucial role by adding a gutsy 96 to take his side close to the finishing line. 

2019–20 BBL (Big Bash League)

A controversial moment ensued when Michael Klinger was dismissed on the seventh legitimate delivery of the over, an illegal occurrence because the umpires miscounted. The on-field dismissal had to stand according to the laws, even though the broadcaster noticed the extra delivery during the review. The over, bowled by Ben Dwarshuis against the Sydney Sixers, mistakenly allowed a seventh legal delivery. During that delivery, Klinger edged a shot and was caught at third man by Steven O’Keefe. Upon delivery, the umpires consulted the TV umpire to validate the catch, but no one noticed the extra delivery, even though it was indeed the seventh legal ball with no wides or no-balls preceding it. Cricket Australia later acknowledged the umpiring blunder and stated a review process would be established to probe this matter further. 

Negative consequences of a miscalculated over

The immediate impact of a miscounted over is felt by the broadcasting team, who are responsible for showing accurate scores to the viewers at all times. The scoring system is predominantly designed to handle only six balls in an over. As per the current mechanism, the scoring system can potentially crash if the over is to be called earlier, before the completion of six balls, or if another delivery is allowed outside the six balls.  During the ongoing ODI WC clash between Pakistan and the Netherlands in 2023, the entire scorecard graphic had to be taken down for 30 minutes as the broadcasting team continued to grapple with updating the right score. 

Besides, the scorers who tend to work behind the scenes during a live game also get a headache when such obstacles are encountered. Apart from overall team scores, scores need to have a close tab of individual scores and performances. But when an umpire miscounts, the scorers need to make additional amendments to that miscalculated over and also accurately adjust the total number of overs against the bowler, who played a part in that miscounted over. Moreover, counting the balls in an over is of paramount importance in a limited-overs fixture. In white-ball cricket, the number of deliveries isn't infinite, hence every ball has significance. Minimizing or stretching an over by even a single delivery can result in the umpires unintentionally giving undue advantage to either of the two sides.