Memes galore as Harbhajan Singh sympathises with Pakistan after loss to South Africa, asks ICC to change rule

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh found himself in the eye of a social media storm for questioning the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rules on the Decision Review System (DRS) after Pakistan's defeat to South Africa.

Harbhajan's tweet blasts the umpiring and existing rules, arguing that if the ball is hitting the stumps as shown by technology, the decision should be out, irrespective of the on-field umpire’s initial call. This tweet comes in the wake of a controversial DRS decision favouring South Africa, even when replays indicated that the ball was marginally hitting the leg stump.

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While the tweet was greeted with agreement by some Pakistani fans, Indian netizens questioned Harbhajan’s stance. Some pointed out the inconsistency in his viewpoint, asking where he was when Indian stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were similarly affected by "Umpire's Call" during pivotal games.

Accusations of Harbhajan's ignorance towards the inherent limitations of technology were also rampant.

One user retorted, "Umpire's call is an old rule. And it is there because technology is not 100% there yet." Another comment emphasised that the rules have been in place for years and should not come as a surprise.

The concept of "Umpire’s Call" is designed to balance technology with human decision-making, acknowledging that even machines can have a margin of error.

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Nevertheless, Harbhajan's comments also found support, notably among Pakistani fans. One pointed out that they had been waiting for four years for this World Cup and that a single decision should not have the power to ruin it. Another fan noted that bad captaincy and strategy also played a role in Pakistan’s loss.

Umpire’s Call and its significance

The “Umpire’s Call” is used when the probability of a batter losing the wicket is extremely low. For example, say an LBW appeal gets denied by the umpire. During the DRS, if it is seen that the was marginally hitting one of the stumps, it will still be given Not Out. 

It is simply because the ball tracking technology shows the “probability” of the ball hitting the stumps in a simulation method. It doesn’t actually hit the stumps.

Check out former England skipper Nasser Hussain’s visual explanation: