In the first T20 match between Pakistan and Australia, questions started to arise about the poor officiating.
According to the details, the TV umpire left the cricket fans very disappointed and shocked on Babar Azam’s LBW decision in the first T20 match played on January 29.
In this controversial moment, Babar Azam changed his stance before the ball dropped, to play a reverse shot and became a left-handed batsman.
However, the ball hit his feet and again the impact was on the line and the ball was ruled offside.
However, the TV umpire ruled that the ball was placed on the leg side, which raises several questions.
Worst TV judging last night on Babar Azam LBW Verdict. As Babar was changing his hands, he was like a left-handed bowler and the ball hit his leg. The TV ref says he lands on the side of his leg. How can it be?
— Rashid Latif 🇵🇰 (@iRashidLatif68) 30 January 2026
The ground umpire corrected him and said he was a right-handed batsman, whereupon he re-checked the tracking of the ball and declared Babar.
On the one hand, questions were asked about this referee’s decision, on the other hand, the Australian media made fun of the quality of refereeing.
It should be noted that the LBW rule often confuses the fans when playing a reverse hit or a reverse sweep.
According to the Laws of Cricket, offside and legside are determined when the bowler starts his run, not when the batsman bowls.
According to MCC rules, if the batsman subsequently changes his stance and plays a reverse stroke, a new offside is not considered for an LBW decision. That is, the side that was initially the leg side remains the same in the LBW rule.
Therefore, if the ball hits the pad and goes towards the stumps, the batsman may be dismissed, even if the ball does not appear to have hit the ‘line of the stumps’.
That is, in reverse shots, LBW is judged on the original position of the batsman and not on his later changed position.
