The “freak” dismissal of Yusuf Pathan dominated the post-match discussions with the Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir calling it a “tough pill to swallow”. With Pathan at his explosive best KKR dominated the Pune Warriors India bowling before Pathan was dismissed for ‘obstructing the field’ by a ruling from the third umpire who assessed the replays following the visitor’s appeal.
“The way Pathan was going, we should have won the game. It was a pretty freak dismissal, something I have not seen it in my career,” Gambhir said during the presentation ceremony. “We have not played good cricket and the consistency was also a problem for us,” the KKR captain said. Ryan ten Doeschate, the KKR all-rounder, said Pathan’s dismissal “was a great disappointment for the team but one cannot comment on an umpiring decision.”
When asked whether it was ethical for PWI to appeal, the Dutch player skirted a direct reply and referred to an appeal by his KKR teammate Jacques Kallis who had touched the ball with his boot running out the PWI captain Aaron Finch in the team’s previous meeting in Pune (on May 9). The decision on Kallis’ appeal then went against KKR, greatly infuriating the bowler. “If we talk about ethics and sportsmanship, Jacques had also run out Finch in Pune when the ball had come off his boot and we have got to take his word for it...” Doeschate said.
The PWI head coach Allan Donald said he was convinced after seeing the replays that Pathan had intentionally kicked the ball away. “When you see from the side-line, it looked a bit innocuous. But when I looked it on the replay it was clearly an attempt to nudge the ball away. I think the intent of Yusuf Pathan was to actually kick the ball away,”
Donald said. “I think this is a big lesson for any cricketer,” he added. Donald said PWI’s win after a string of losses is a “great relief” for him. “I am very relieved. Obviously tonight was a big challenge for us to step up. Relieved that we could finally show what a quality side this really is,” Donald said.
