Explained: Why was Phoebe Litchfield's LBW call suspiciously overturned?

When Australia and India are at play, controversies are just around the corner. 

In the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup clash between India and Australia, a controversy brewed surrounding a ‘controversial’ LBW decision. In the 17th over of the Australian innings, left-hander Phoebe Litchfield was struck right in front of the stumps. However, there was a catch. 

The left-handed batter had turned into a right-hander in an attempt to reverse sweep the off-spinner Deepti Sharma. While she was struck right in front of the stumps, the ball was pitching outside the off-stump. 

Shouldn’t it be in line because she turned into a right-hander? No. 

Screenshot Courtesy: Hotstar

According to Marylebone Cricket Club’s law 36.3, the off-side of the striker’s wicket is determined at the point of run-up, and at that point, Litchfield was still batting as a left-hander, which means that it was still pitched outside the off-stump. 

“The off side of the striker’s wicket shall be determined by the striker’s batting position at the moment the ball comes into play for that delivery,” reads MCC’s law. 

It didn't leave a good after-taste in the mouth of Smriti Mandhana and co, as she was suggesting the umpire to reverse the decision because Litchfield turned into a right-hander. Sue Redfern checked with the third umpire yet again before confirming the decision. 

Has it ever happened before in international cricket? 

Of course, earlier, when England played India away from home, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were continuously playing the reverse, which irked the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. 

“As a bowler, I tell the batsman my line of attack (over or around the stumps), and I am giving a clear glimpse of my field, too. You front up as a right-handed batsman but switch to a left-hander,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“Try telling Joe Root that if the ball comes from outside leg stump and hits your pad, it’s not blind spot. If I play it from my original stance, it’s blind spot. But if I turn around, then it’s not a blind spot – it’s front-on.”

“The moment you turn around, you are front-on. My question is not whether he can play reverse sweep or not, whether it’s negative bowling strategy or not (bowling outside leg stump), my point is about lbw. It’s extremely unfair that it’s not ruled lbw.”

But as it stands, MCC’s law still hasn’t updated its rules to include provisions for when a batter attempts a reverse hit. As it turned out, Litchfield ended her innings with an unbeaten nine-ball 15, as Australia finished with a stellar score of 151 on a slow and tricky Sharjah surface. 

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