Shubman Gill provided Indian fans with much relief after he completed a sharp catch at long-off to dismiss Travis Head during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
However, umpire Richard Illingworth was seen having a word with Gill after Head walked back to the pavillion. The umpire’s gestures seemed to suggest he was warning Gill about releasing the ball too early after completing a catch.
Gill, who had thrown the ball in a bit of a hurrry to celebrate after completing the catch, nodded in agreement.
While the commonly held belief regarding a legal catch is that the fielder needs to be in control of the ball for two to three seconds after completing the take, there is no such time-bound regulation in the official law.
According to MCC’s law 33.3 (Making a catch), “The act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement.”
Whether the ball is in the fielder’s control or not is most often left to the discretion of the on-field umpires, as was the case with Gill on this occasion.
After Australia elected to bat, it lost openers Cooper Connolly and Head inside the PowerPlay, with Gill’s catch giving India a crucial breakthrough.