Hasaranga Slams Umpire Hannibal Over Controversial No-Ball Call

Sri Lanka's T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has launched a scathing attack on umpire Lyndon Hannibal, accusing him of being unfit for international cricket after a controversial no-ball call in the third T20I against Afghanistan.

The incident occurred during a tense final over, with Sri Lanka needing 11 runs off the last three balls. Wafadar Momand delivered a high full toss that passed well above the waist of batter Kamindu Mendis without pitching. Despite Mendis' appeals and a request for a review, square-leg umpire Hannibal deemed the delivery legal, leaving Sri Lanka needing 11 off the last two balls.

Hasaranga, who did not name Hannibal directly, expressed his outrage at the decision, stating that such incidents should not occur in international matches. He emphasized that the delivery was clearly above waist height and would have hit the batsman's head if it had gone slightly higher.

"That kind of thing shouldn't happen in an international match," Hasaranga said. "If it had been close [to waist height], that's not a problem. But a ball that's going so high… it would have hit the batsman's head if it had gone a little higher."

"If you can't see that, that umpire isn't suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job."

Hasaranga also criticized the ICC's playing conditions, which do not allow player reviews for umpire decisions that do not involve potential dismissals. He argued that the third umpire should be able to review no-balls, regardless of whether a dismissal is at stake.

"There was a situation where you could review those calls before, but the ICC has got rid of that," Hasaranga said. "Our batsmen tried to review that. If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well. There's no reason why they can't. They didn't do even that, so I'm not sure what was going on in his (the square-leg umpire's) mind at the time."

Sri Lanka went on to lose the match by three runs, handing Afghanistan their only victory of the tour. Despite the loss, Sri Lanka won the series 2-1.

Tags: #Cricket, #SriLanka, #Afghanistan, #T20I, #UmpiringControversy