In a moment fraught with controversy, Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan’s frustration was palpable as a critical error in ball-tracking technology became a pivotal turn in their Pakistan Super League encounter against the Quetta Gladiators. What should have been a routine dismissal turned into a hotly contested incident, leaving spectators and players alike in disbelief during the ninth season’s eighth match on Thursday, February 22.
The Quetta Gladiators, in pursuit of Islamabad’s modest target of 139, found themselves in a precarious situation when Rilee Rossouw faced off against Agha Salman’s bowling. The delivery in question, seemingly undemanding, found Rossouw off-guard, and his stumps were rattled. In an almost reflexive reaction, umpire Aleem Dar raised his finger as the United players erupted in appeal. Bereft of any other choice to prolong his innings, Rossouw signaled for the DRS.
As the entire stadium awaited the verdict, the replay scrutiny revealed no bat was involved in the dismissal. However, the subsequent unfolding of events left everyone confounded. The ball-tracking technology, which is regarded as one of the pillars of modern cricket adjudication, displayed that the ball would have missed the stumps, against all visual evidence on the field. This unexpected turn of events saw Aleem Dar, a seasoned umpire, visibly dumbfounded, and after consultation with the third umpire, he had no choice but to reverse his on-field call.
Footage of the contentious delivery spread like wildfire across the internet, with cricket fans and analysts dissecting the glaring discrepancy—how could the tracker get it so wrong? To see it firsthand, the video became an immediate point of reference for discussions about the reliability of technology in the sport.
Capitalizing on his unexpected second chance, Rossouw shifted the game’s dynamics as he crafted a steady unbeaten 34 off 38 balls, propelling the Gladiators to overcome the required total comfortably with three wickets and a generous surplus of three overs.
The result not only handed two full points to the Quetta Gladiators but it also sent shockwaves through the table rankings, with Islamabad United now positioned third, armed only with a single victory from three games. Meanwhile, Quetta and Multan Sultans enjoyed the top spots, with the latter boasting an impeccable record thus far in the competition.
In the aftermath, Shadab’s fury was not masked as he criticized the fault in the technological system that is designed to eliminate human errors, not introduce them. “I think technology made a mistake. The ball-tracking showed a different delivery, and it was a match-changing moment,” he remarked, his comments reflecting the severity of the incident. ESPNcricinfo captured his statements where he emphasized that such errors should be rectified, particularly in high-stakes tournaments like the PSL. According to Shadab, the erroneous spinning prediction of the ball’s trajectory by the tracker was inexplicable, given his personal experience as a legspinner on that pitch.
This incident has raised serious questions about the infallibility of the much-trusted DRS technology, which is often seen as the final arbiter in close calls. It also underscores the importance of maintaining the highest standards of accuracy in the technology employed in sports—a single fault can drastically sway outcomes and potentially impact league standings in tightly contested tournaments.
The buzz caused by this event is a reminder that despite the advancements in sports technology aimed at ensuring fairness and objectivity, it is not devoid of its own flaws and can become the center of intense scrutiny and debate when those flaws surface. For Shadab Khan and Islamabad United, the unfortunate results of this technological slip-up are a bitter pill to swallow as they muster the resolve to climb back up the league’s ladder in the games to come.
