A significant officiating oversight went completely unnoticed during the fifth ODI between India and New Zealand at
The confusion began at the conclusion of the 14th over. Axar Patel, facing Blair Tickner, successfully struck a single off the final delivery of the over. Under standard cricket regulations, this action should have placed Patel on strike for the commencement of the 15th over. However, when play resumed after the break, Shreyas Iyer was positioned at the striker's end to face the first ball of the new over, which was delivered by Kristian Clarke.
Breakdown of the officiating lapse
The sequence of events was clear according to the match records. After Patel guided a short delivery from Tickner over the infield, he and Iyer completed a single. Despite this, the batting order was effectively swapped during the interval. When the match restarted, Clarke bowled to Iyer, who defended the delivery. The error remained unaddressed by the officiating team, despite the drinks break providing a natural pause for officials to confirm and verify the correct batting positions before play continued.
This development occurred during a challenging phase for the Indian side, who were attempting to stabilize their innings following an early top-order collapse. Both Patel and Iyer had navigated difficult conditions earlier in the match, surviving dropped chances as the pitch offered variable bounce and movement to the New Zealand bowling attack.
India secures series victory
Despite the batting instability and the officiating error, India managed to post a total of 209 all out in 42.1 overs. The recovery was anchored by Patel and Ishan Kishan, who both contributed 46 runs, while Naman Dhir added a valuable 22 runs toward the end of the innings. The modest total proved sufficient, as India’s bowling unit produced a disciplined performance to defend the target.
Arshdeep Singh spearheaded the bowling effort, claiming 3/30 as New Zealand were dismissed for 187 in 48.1 overs. This 22-run victory allowed India to clinch the five-match ODI series with a 3-1 result. The two nations are now scheduled to transition to the longer format, with a two-Test series set to begin on November 19.
