Cricket's rulebook struck again in a bizarre Asia Cup Super Over moment between India and Sri Lanka, leaving fans stunned as Dasun Shanaka survived what looked like a certain run-out.
Though Sri Lanka eventually lost the thrilling encounter, batter Shanaka survived what seemed a certain run-out, thanks to a quirky loophole in cricket's rulebook.
On the fourth ball of Arshdeep Singh's Super Over, the left-arm pacer delivered a sharp yorker outside off. Shanaka swung hard and missed. Arshdeep immediately appealed for a caught behind, and Umpire Gazi Sohel raised his finger.
In a moment of confusion, Shanaka attempted a run, with Sanju Samson executing a brilliant under-arm direct hit at the striker's end, but it proved futile.
Cricket's laws intervened: The moment the umpire signaled Shanaka out caught behind, the ball was automatically dead, rendering Samson's brilliant direct hit void.
Upon review, UltraEdge confirmed there was no bat-ball contact, and Shanaka's dismissal was overturned.
The batter not only survived but was completely absolved of the potential run-out. The bizarre sequence left fans baffled, with X exploding as users scrambled to make sense of cricket's quirkiest rule in action.
On the very next ball, Shanaka was finally dismissed by Arshdeep, restricting Sri Lanka to just two runs in the Super Over. Suryakumar Yadav then sealed victory with three runs off Wanindu Hasaranga's first delivery.
Retired cricketer Irfan Pathan explained the confusion on social media, 'Since it was given out caught behind and then reviewed, the ball is dead. Umpire Gazi Sohel made his point clear to Team India -- the first decision stands. That's why Shanaka escaped the run-out.'
A fan summed it up perfectly on X, 'Thanks to this super-over run-out, we've all been enlightened about one of the weirdest rules in cricket!'