T20 World Cup 2024: Did Dead Ball in Final Over Rob Pakistan of Victory Against USA?

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Pakistan suffered a stunning loss to USA in their T20 World Cup 2024 group stage opener on Thursday (June 6), but a dead ball decision going their way in the final over could have seen a different outcome to the match.

Put into bat, Pakistan managed to post just 159 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, where the tournament co-hosts USA, who pulled off a historic result, also posted the same score, forcing a super over to determine the winner.

USA's left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige scalped three wickets for 30 runs as Pakistan found it difficult to press the accelerator with skipper Babar Azam (44 off 43 balls) and Shadab Khan (40 off 25 balls) contributing the most with the bat.

Shaheen Shah Afridi also added an unbeaten 23 off 16 balls to take Pakistan past 150. There could have been 2 more runs added to Pakistan's total when USA wicketkeeper Monank Patel made a wayward throw back to the bowler Ali Khan.

However, when Afridi and Haris Rauf ran for what was assumed as overthrows, the umpires had a small discussion following the American protests to call it a dead ball as they assumed the wicketkeeper was only returning the ball to the bowler to continue the over.

Did the dead ball rob Pakistan victory against USA?

If that dead ball decision was wrong, Pakistan were definitely robbed of a win as the extra 2 runs may have not led to a super over, which USA won by defending 18 runs. However, as per the law of the game, the decision was right.

The questionable decision took place when USA skipper Monank Patel collected the ball behind the stumps after Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to connect a short-pitched delivery and retruned it back to the bowler Ali Khan in the very first delivery of the 20th over.

As per the MCC law, 20.1 Ball is dead, 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when, 20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler. So, based on this, that dead ball decision could be right.

However, one of the commentator on-air had questioned the call, while some users on social media also questioned the call with one asking what would the decision have been if there was a run out at the non-striker's end.

Another user on X drew example of a county game and said that, "Total wrong decision by umpires the ball clearly not a dead ball as it was thrown back to bowler to expedite a run out."

Despite the mixed views on the dead ball call, Pakistan did not perform at their best and USA deserved the win after performing well on all three fronts in the Group A match.