Islamabad
Recalling the 2011 ICC World Cup semifinal between Pakistan and India at Mohali, former off-spinner Saeed Ajmal insists that he had picked up the prized wicket of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, but is still unable to understand how the TV replays showed him not out.
Ajmal’s comments came after Ian Gould, who was on-field umpire in that match, in a recent interview reflected on the decision made by the third umpire on the basis of replays. Gould stated that he would still give Tendulkar out, irrespective of what the replays showed.
“When I gave him out, I think he’s out. I’ll sit here and guarantee you that if I see it again I’d still give it out, and this is simple as that. He [Sachin] talked to Gambhir and looked like he was going to walk out, and I’m thinking thank God for that. [But] then he spun on his heels and made that T sign and the world stopped,” Gould told BCC 5 Live Sport.
The 62-year-old Gould, who served was a member of ICC’s Elite umpire’s panel before retiring last year after ICC Cricket World Cup, sounded confident that when the referral was made the batsman was out.
“All I saw was a quicker ball from Ajmal and it just thudded into the pads and went somewhere to square leg about 60 yards. And it was just right, he’s out. Sorry, you’re out. I don’t care who you are, Sachin or anybody,” he reckoned.
Ajmal made no delay in seconding Gould as he appeared in a YouTube video stating, “Definitely, I agree with that. I’m the bowler who had got him out at that time. It’d disturbed me a lot at that time and when I came out [out of the field] I’d protested that why was he not given out, when he was out.
“He’s out today, he’s out ten years ago and he’s out after ten years,” asserted Ajmal, who had trapped Tendulkar at 23 right in front of the wicket at that point.
“I was listening he and Gambhir were talking to each other. He was saying, ‘let me go as I’m out’, but Gambhir asked him to take the chance. And then they took the chance.
“I don’t know how the ball missed the wickets [in replays]. But he was [definitely] out and there is nothing much to debate about that. When I look at the replays I feel that they’ve probably missed one or so frames,” added Ajmal, who took 178 wickets in 35 Tests and 184 in 113 ODIs.
On naked-eye the Indian batting great looked clearly out and Gould had no hesitation in making a decision, but much to the surprise of everyone he was given not out by the third umpire as the television replays showed that the ball was missing the leg stump.
Sachin Tendulkar went on to add 62 more runs to reach to 85 off 115 balls, helping his side to post 260 for nine. Pakistan in reply could score 231 runs, losing the match by 29.—APP
