‘It was an interesting one probably broke a little bit of momentum’ – Sophie Devine on dead ball controversy against India Women

Sophie Devine and Harmanpreet Kaur. (Source – Getty Images)

In the fourth match of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai, New Zealand’s victory over India saw a controversial deadball incident. The match, witnessed the White Ferns dominate with a 58-run win in their tournament opener.

The controversy took place in the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings when all-rounder Amelia Kerr was initially deemed run out. However, the umpires reversed the decision, calling the ball ‘dead’ and allowing Kerr to continue her innings. This decision unsettled the Indian team, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Amol Muzumdar engaging in animated discussions with match officials.

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For us, trying to pinch runs here and there: Sophie Devine

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, reflecting on the incident post-match, acknowledged its potential impact on India’s performance. 

“Yeah it was an interesting one probably broke a little bit of momentum (of India) and maybe stalled them a little bit. But I think that’s part of cricket isn’t it, people’s interpretations are always going to be slightly different,” she said.

Devine emphasized the importance of respecting the umpire’s decisions. The Kiwi skipper said that the umpire’s decision is final and needs to be trusted. Devine mentioned that it was none of her business to object to the decision.

“I guess my understanding of it is when the umpire calls over and I never heard the umpire call over but obviously that’s up to the umpire’s discretion in terms of when they think the ball’s dead. For us, trying to pinch runs here and there, you never know when that one run might count but, yeah look, trust the umpires and obviously they made the call at the end of the day, that’s their job, it’s not really any of my business, they’re the ones that have to apply, I just sort of sometimes push the boundaries a little bit with it.” she went on to add.

The incident, though controversial, did not significantly benefit Kerr, who was dismissed shortly after for 13 runs. Despite the controversy, New Zealand’s performance was impressive. Batting first, they posted a total of 160/4, with Devine herself leading the charge with an unbeaten 57 off 36 balls. The bowling attack, spearheaded by Rosemary Mair’s impressive 4-19, then restricted India to a mere 102 runs, securing a comprehensive victory.