A rather ‘embarrassing’ controversy erupted during the England vs New Zealand Super 12 match at the T20 World Cup 2022 on Tuesday. The NZ skipper Kane Williamson was accused of ‘cheating’ after claiming a catch when the ball had clearly bounced out of his hands onto the ground before he clenched it to his chest and then attempted to persuade the umpires that he had caught it cleanly.
The controversial T20 World Cup moment came in the fifth over of the England innings. With England at 45/0, skipper Jos Buttler cut a delivery by Mitchell Santner which hung up in the air. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson dived for it and claimed a catch.
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Buttler decided to walk off the pitch but the umpires decided to discuss and get the dismissal checked. Williamson was spotted animated and surprised at the catch being reviewed, gesturing with his hands that he had fumbled first but caught it cleanly.
Buttler was stopped on his way to the dugout. Replays showed that the ball hit the ground after Willamson’s fumble before he caught it again, clutching it to his chest. As the decision was reversed, Buttler made his way to the crease again. Williamson was quick to apologise and his English counterpart smilingly gestured it was fine.
However, several cricket fans did not see it as a simple error in judgement like Buttler. Williamson was called out on social media for ‘cheating’. It was suggested that Williamson had cheated England out of a single by claiming a catch that wasn’t. While England eventually won, Williamson was not spared as several angry fans slammed the Kiwi cricketer.
However, several fans also came to Williamson's rescue, slamming those who called him out for alleged cheating and asserting that the New Zealand skipper was a real "gentleman of the game."
Reacting to the error in judgement, Williamson later said, “I thought I had squeezed it in my chest, it was a bit embarrassing in the end.”
England eventually won the match by 20 runs, which ensured that the controversy did not get further fuelled and did not play a significant part in the result. Buttler went on to score 71 from 47 balls ina match-winning innings.
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