IND vs PAK, Women's Cricket World Cup: Why Was Pakistan Batter Muneeba Ali Declared Run Out?

Although Muneeba Ali's bat was over the crease line, replays showed it was in the air at the moment of impact. According to cricket laws, a batter is out if their bat or body is not grounded behind the crease.

Colombo (Sri Lanka): The first wicket of Pakistan Women in their match against Indian women in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2025 fell in the most emphatic fashion after batter Muneeba Ali was declared run out on an LBW appeal. While it was initially given as not out, replays showed the bat up in the air when the ball hit the stumps. Harmanpreet Kaur celebrated while Pakistan captain Fatima Sana was seen arguing with the umpire and asking Muneeba not to leave the field. The drama unfolded in extraordinary fashion as India’s appeal for LBW was turned down, but Muneeba, having missed a full ball that was arrowing into the stumps, wandered out of her crease. Though she initially stretched her bat back in time, it lifted off the ground just as the throw crashed into the stumps, leaving her short. To add to the twist, replays later revealed that Muneeba would have been out LBW as well had India reviewed, making the dismissal even more dramatic and leaving Pakistan stunned early in the innings.

What Does The Rules Say?

According to MCC Laws of Cricket, a batter can be given run out if their bat or body is not grounded behind the crease when the stumps are broken by the fielding side. Simply having the bat in the air does not provide safety, even if it is inside the crease line. This means that a batter must physically ground either their foot or bat to be considered safe. In Muneeba Ali’s case, although the initial appeal was for LBW, replays revealed her bat was raised when the ball hit the stumps, leaving her out of her ground. 

A batter is not considered out of her ground if, while running or diving to make her crease, she has grounded her bat or body behind the line and then loses contact afterwards. However, this protection only applies in the act of running or diving, not when the batter is stationary at the crease. In Muneeba Ali’s case, she had momentarily grounded her bat but lifted it while standing inside her crease, and therefore the safeguard under this law did not apply. As a result, when the stumps were broken with her bat in the air, she was rightly adjudged run out.