ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs PAK: Why was Kohli given three byes after being bowled on a Free Hit delivery?

By Ayush Gupta | First Published Oct 24, 2022, 10:33 AM IST

India thrillingly trumped Pakistan by four wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 clash on Sunday. While there was a controversy about Kohli being given three byes after being bowled during Free-Hit, we explain the same.

It was an emphatic four-wicket win for Team India on Sunday against arch-rival Pakistan in their Super 12 opener of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In their third meeting of the year, the Men in Blue triumphed on a couple of occasions. The game saw high drama in the final over, which included a waist-height no-ball that was called quite late. Also, the resulting Free-Hit saw controversy as India was given three byes after Virat Kohli was bowled off the delivery. The Pakistanis claimed that the ball should have been dead. Here, we explain why the three byes were given.

As orthodox spinner Mohammad Nawaz bowled the Free Hit delivery, Kohli missed his attempted sweep over mid-wicket, with the ball crashing onto the off-stump. However, the ball trickled down towards the third-man region, resulting in Kohli and Dinesh Karthik running three runs. Consequently, the Pakistanis questioned the umpires again about whether the byes counted or if the ball should have been dead.

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The same point was raised by the commentators as well. Per the MCC Laws of Cricket, delivery can only become dead when "it is finally settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or of the bowler" or if "a boundary is scored." Also, a dead ball can result if "a batter is dismissed. The ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing the dismissal."

Law 20.1.1 also states that if the bails of the wickets fall when "one or both bails fall from the striker's wicket before the striker has had the opportunity of playing the ball." As for the Free Hit, only four modes of dismissal are allowed: Handling the ball, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field and running out. For the occasion involving India, since bowled does not count as a legal dismissal in Free Hit, the ball was still in play until being safely collected by a fielder.

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