During the 47th over, Inglis dislodged the bails after Ahmad was out of his crease, but Smith intervened in a sporting gesture.
In a commendable display of sportsmanship at the Champions Trophy 2025, Australia’s captain Steven Smith chose to withdraw a run-out appeal against Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad. The incident unfolded in the 47th over of Afghanistan’s innings when wicketkeeper Josh Inglis swiftly dislodged the bails at the striker’s end. This occurred as Noor Ahmad momentarily ventured out of his क्रीज before the ball was officially deemed dead.
Noor Ahmad was not attempting to take a run; instead, he mistakenly believed the ball to be dead and was moving to meet his batting partner, Azmatullah Omarzai, in the middle of the pitch. However, in cricket, the ball remains in play until the umpire calls ‘over’, and umpire Alex Wharf had not yet made that call.
Subsequent replays confirmed that Noor Ahmad was indeed out of his क्रीज. Despite this, Steven Smith promptly signaled to the umpires that the appeal should be retracted, effectively overruling the initial enthusiasm from wicketkeeper Inglis. Just moments prior, Noor Ahmad had completed a single run after Azmatullah Omarzai’s shot off Nathan Ellis through midwicket, with the intention of retaining the strike for the next over.
While Afghanistan was not attempting to gain an undue advantage, the laws of cricket are unambiguous: a run-out is a legitimate form of dismissal until the ball is dead. Had Smith not intervened to withdraw the appeal, Noor Ahmad would have been given out, likely by third umpire Chris Gaffaney.
At the time of the incident, Noor Ahmad had scored 3 runs off 3 balls, and he went on to score 6 off 8. More crucially, had the appeal stood, Afghanistan’s score would have been 248 for 9 after 47 overs. This could have significantly hampered their chances of achieving the additional 25 runs they eventually managed to add to their total. Ultimately, Noor Ahmad was dismissed on the final ball of the innings.
Historically, the Australian team has been known to uphold such run-out appeals, even when batters are casually out of their क्रीज without attempting a run. A prominent example of this occurred during the Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2023, where Alex Carey’s run-out of Jonny Bairstow sparked considerable debate. Similarly, Muthiah Muralidaran was dismissed in a Test in Christchurch in 2006 under comparable circumstances.
In contrast, the 2011 Trent Bridge Test witnessed a different approach when India recalled Ian Bell after he was run out in similar circumstances. This incident, occurring just before the tea interval, saw India, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, demonstrate a spirit of goodwill by reinstating Bell, highlighting the nuanced interpretations of cricket’s spirit.
