Dane Vilas believes his side should have been given two runs on the final ball, which would have tied Saturday’s Vitality Blast final against Hampshire, and, therefore, the title going to Lancashire Lightning.
The 2022 Vitality T20 Blast final was as chaotic as it gets. In a dramatic turn of events, Hampshire Hawks celebrated the win with fireworks all around the stadium, only to realise it was a no-ball. Nathan Ellis had to bowl an extra delivery, with Lancashire needing three to win the match.
According to the Blast’s playing conditions, tied knockout games are awarded to the team that has lost fewer wickets (they had both lost eight), then to the team with the higher score in the powerplay (Lancashire scored 60 to Hampshire’s 48).
With the playing conditions, Lancashire needed two runs to clinch the title on the final ball. Richard Gleeson missed to connect the slower ball, and the two batters completed a bye, with the wicket-keeper Ben McDermott dislodging the bails at keeper’s end.
Gleeson was coming back for a second with his partner Tom Hartley also setting off. McDermott ran towards the bowler’s end and was handed a stump that Mason Crane had removed in celebration. Hartley appeared to have made his ground before the other stumps were broken.
Only one bye was given and the umpires did not even refer the decision to the third umpire. Lancashire captain Vilas argued that the ball was still in play and the umpiring error may have cost them the title.
“We thought the ball was still live and Tommy came back for two. There was a little bit of confusion out there but the umpires called the ball dead as soon as they took the stumps [bails] off at the striker’s end.”
“There was a little bit of confusion because we thought the boys were going for another run and Tommy was quite keen on getting that other run. We’ll have a look back at the game in a bit more detail.”
“Everything was going on out there at that stage. I can’t be 100% sure of what was said exactly, but we thought maybe we could have had a look and seen if it was a review or something, but it obviously wasn’t and ended up being called a Hampshire win,”
he said after the game.
Hampshire skipper James Vince suggested that the ball was obviously dead once the stumps were broken and the batters couldn’t have run two.
“I mean, obviously they weren’t going to run two to the wicketkeeper so I’m not quite sure what he was trying to say. Once we broke the bails at the end and whatever, I just double-checked with the umpires that the game was done and dusted and they said, ‘yeah’, and then we celebrated for a second time,”
said Vince.
According to Law 20.1.2, “the ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
Vilas had support for his stand from several others. England fast bowler Saqib Mahmood questioned the umpires for not checking with the third umpire while Jordan Clark, the ex-Lancashire all-rounder tweeted: “Did Lancs just run a legitimate two at the end there or was that just me?” Daniel Gidney, the chief executive of Lancashire club, retweeted that post.
