- In the three-match ODI series between Zimbabwe and Ireland, there were two seven-ball overs and one five-ball over bowled. It was the umpires’ mistake as they didn’t come to know that the bowler bowled 7 balls in an over. In the first ODI, Zimbabwe was against Ireland in the Stormont cricket ground. Winning the toss Ireland chose to field first and allow Zimbabwe to bat first. Zimbabwe made 266 runs in 50 overs. While the Zimbabwe team was batting in the first innings it was the 40th over, where because of the Umpire counting mistake, 7 balls were bowled in an over. Ireland bowler named George Dockrell was the one who was bowling in the 40th over.
When Andrew Balbirnie’s Ireland came to bat in the second innings again some blunders were made by the umpires. In the 16th over, when Ireland batsman William Portfield was on the strike, it was the second time in this match that the bowler bowled 7 balls in an over. Normally both the umpires i.e. the main and the leg umpire used to count the balls bowled after every delivery, but it seems both were not counting or they had some counting mistake.
But this was not it, in the 21st over when Zimbabwe bowler named Jongwe was bowling to Ireland’s team captain Balbirnie. The batsman hit the fifth ball of the 21st over to four and the umpire took the ball from Jongwe’s hand. The scorecard also showed it was an over. But this time Zimbabwe’s bowler was in doubt that was it really an over or there is still one ball left. However, Jongwe had to hand over the ball to the Umpire just after the fifth ball.
