The 2025 Asia Cup has elicited so many emotions, especially due to the iconic matches it has produced. One of those memories was the India vs. Sri Lanka group stage match which ended in a tie of 202 runs, with the Super Over needed to decide the match. One of the more curious scenarios happened with Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka when he was the subject of a bizarre sequence of events, a missed run-out, and a botched appeal which all led to a huge gap in the rules of the game. This left fans, experts, and players alike dumbfounded.
Of all the players in the Super Over, only the players in the fielding team (India) could argue that the situation was in their favor. Beginning the Super Over, Sri Lanka was first to bat. A dot on the first ball was delivered to Kusal Perera, leading to more run pressure. Sri Lanka did manage a few runs, but things took a disastrous turn on the 4th ball. Out of the 5 balls in the over, the 4th ball was the only off cutter delivered by Arshdeep to Shanaka. Shanaka was so far off the pitch that he was run out, and the match could have been sealed by that run-out.
Things became more complicated when Arshdeep asked for a caught-behind review after believing he heard a nick. Gazi Sohel, the on-field umpire, was convinced by the appeal and called Shanaka out caught. This decision impacted the game significantly because if a player is caught out, the ball is dead. This means the defending team cannot run out the player after the decision is made. Shanaka, although a little surprised, was expecting the decision and immediately informed the umpires about the review he was going to apply.
The third umpire made the decision to check the reviews. This includes checking ultra-edge and other cameras for possible bat-ball contact. India’s team, and everyone else for that matter, was surprised that there was no bat contact to the ball. There was no spike and no evidence. So, the caught-behind decision was reversed. In Shanaka’s case, dismissed umpire decisions are carried for future actions. This means the ball is dead if the umpire dismisses a player. So, the run-out attempt after the supposed nick was dead ball and Shanaka was allowed to bat. This added to the frustration for the Indian team.
This case underscores the nuances of the dead-ball rule in cricket as per Law 20.1 of the MCC Laws of Cricket. A ball is automatically deemed dead when an umpire calls “out” of the game which protects the player from being run out after they are dismissed. If Sohel had not given the caught-behind first and had assessed the run-out instead, Sri Lanka’s Super Over would have been finished at that moment and India would have been chasing a mere three runs off the remaining balls, which they did comfortably, thanks to Arshdeep’s calmness.
India finally won the game, after a scare from Pathum Nissanka in the main innings. However, the expiration of the run penalty on Arshdeep sparked a lot of debate on social media and in the commentary box. Was Arshdeep’s appeal a form of tactical gamesmanship or a mistake? Many felt the risk paying off spectacularly and praised Shanaka for having the presence of mind to review the wicket. For Sri Lanka, it was a moment of respite in a cruel loss, as T20 cricket is a game of fine margins and fleeting decisions.
This Asia Cup moment will go down in history as another example of ‘poor’ umpire calls, similar to the 2019 World Cup Final’s overthrows of the losing team. As the tournament goes into the Super 4 stage, every team will be cautious of their small gains and losses. With this win, India looks highly confident and is in good shape to make a deep playoff run while Sri Lanka will have to work to recoup their losses. With the Shanaka saga, one lesson to be learned is that in a game where human judgment and technology meets, as with every game, the ‘rules’ of cricket remain and will always be a ‘human’ game.
