Masood’s lucky escape reignites debate over spidercam use in international cricket

PTI, Oct 24, 2022, 2:55 PM IST

Representative Image (Source: Spidercam.tv)

Shan Masood had a lot of luck his going way on way to a fighting half-century at the MCG and on one such occasion, the Pakistani batter was rescued by the spidercam hovering over the field of play.

After Virat Kohli missed a regulation run-out chance to dismiss Masood, the southpaw was caught in the deep by Ashwin but replays showed the ball had bounced before the Indian spinner collected it in his palms.

He got another life in a bizarre fashion when Masood, beaten by Ashwin through the air, went for a big hit and the ball collided with the cable holding the spidercam. It could have been an easy catch in the deep by Kohli if the ball had not changed direction after coming in contact with the cable.

The incident once again reignited the debate on the use of spidercam, which has been in use in cricket for more than 10 years. It was first used in the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2007 before being used in the 2010 Indian Premier League.

The technology is also used regularly in ICC events.

The game’s followers on social media were quick to comment on the incident that happened during a high-pressure clash on Sunday with India winning it in the last ball.

”Just realised, how lucky was shan masood yesterday. Survived a runout, ash miscalculated the catch, spider cam came at his service. Damnn lucky!!” tweeted a fan.

To some of the followers, it was divine intervention. ”It’s not the Spidercam it was the Qudrat ka Nizam who saved Shan Masood there,” another Twitter user wrote.

In a nutshell, spidercam is a cable-suspended camera system that allows cameras to move both vertically and horizontally over the field of play.

Masood ended up 52 off 42 balls which ensured Pakistan posted a fighting total after a shaky start.

The technology has been questioned many times in the past including an India-Australia Test in the 2014-2015 series. The Australian captain Steve Smith missed a catch as a camera cable allegedly came in his line of sight.

Last over waist high no ball also divides opinions 

India needed 16 off the final to pull off a famous win over Pakistan on Sunday. Bowling the 20th over, left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz crumbled under pressure and bowled a no ball that Kohli dispatched for a six, tilting the game in India’s favour.

Kohli was well within his right to check for a no-ball and umpire Marais Erasmus took a while before deciding that it was a waist-high full toss, sending the Pakistanis into panic mode.

Pakistani fans expectedly thought that their team got the rough end of the stick. ”Kohl did no wrong by checking with the umpires but the on-field officials should have checked for the height with the third umpire. That is what technology is there for. You can use it when there is doubt,” Pakistan legend Wasim Akram told A Sports.