Explained: Why Nehal Wadhera-Naman Dhir relay catch of Maaz Sadaqat were deemed invalid by TV umpire in India A vs Pakistan Shaheens?

Nehal Wadhera and Naman Dhir took a brilliant catch of Maaz Sadaqat but that was deemed invalid.

In the ongoing Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 event in Qatar, Pakistan Shaheens crushed India A. India was knocked out for 136 runs after a spectacular collapse at the hands of Pakistani spinners.

Despite Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 45 and Naman Dhir’s 35, Saad Masood and Maaz Sadaqat’s two wickets apiece made sure India didn’t score much.

In response, Pakistan Shaheens won by eight wickets in 13.2 overs, thanks to a 79* in 47 balls from Maaz Sadaqat. After a controversial incident that happened during Pakistan’s chase, they might also feel abused.

When opener Maaz Sadaqat, who was batting well and guiding Pakistan to victory, seemed to be cleanly taken by a boundary relay catch between Nehal Wadhera and Naman Dhir, India A thought they had a breakthrough and an opening.

The third umpire took a long time to check the replays before declaring the batsman not out, which sparked criticism even though the batter was already exiting the field as India’s players celebrated the wicket.

There was a lot of ambiguity and annoyance in the Indian camp as Captain Jitesh Sharma and his players attempted to determine why Sadaqat hadn’t been given out.

See here:

Here is why the TV umpire ruled Maaz Sadaqat not out despite Wadhera and Dhir’s clean catch

Viewers were further perplexed by the fact that the delivery was only recorded as a dot ball rather than a six.

The unexpected result can be explained by a new ICC rule that was established in June 2025 and involves changes to Law 19.5.2 concerning boundary catches.

Under Law 19.5.2 of the ICC’s Playing Conditions for T20Is, updated in July this year, the rule reads as follows: “19.5.2.1: … [The] fielder may then jump from outside the boundary in order to make contact with the ball whilst airborne. After making contact with the ball once airborne, all subsequent contact with the ground by that fielder, until the ball becomes dead, must be within the field of play. Any subsequent contact with the ground outside the boundary by that fielder during that delivery, whether or not in contact with the ball, will result in a boundary being scored.”

According to the revised law, a fielder must land and stay completely inside the field of play until the ball dies if they jump from outside the boundary to make airborne contact with it. If this isn’t done, the dismissal is void.

Nehal’s landing position was outside the boundary, which is against the updated rule, even though he released the ball before hitting the border and kept control. The catch could not be considered legitimate under the new rule, even though the ball itself did not reach the rope and was thus not awarded as a six.

The ICC clarified that, “Having done so, they must land and remain wholly within the boundary. This applies even if another player completes the fielding.”

Consequently, the catch was overturned despite India A’s extraordinary agility, which proved to be a crucial point in the game.

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