What is the leg bye rule on referral in cricket and why is it controversial?

Bangladesh were denied four leg byes against South Africa and ended up losing by four runs in T20 World Cup

Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah was given out lbw against Ottneil Baartman of South Africa but the decision was later overturned. AFP

The rules of cricket are vast and complicated. They may seem cumbersome to outsiders but they are part of its charm for the game's followers.

The advent of technology has brought about many changes to the way the game is conducted at international level. While the rules of cricket have accounted for almost every eventuality, there are still a few oddities that pop up every now and then.

Take for the example, the leg bye rule in the era of decision review. Earlier, whatever the umpire decided on the field was final, so teams had to accept the outcome no matter what. But with the decision review system, teams can challenge calls that they think are incorrect.

However, there is one peculiar situation that has cricket fans and experts worried. For years, the issue of leg byes when the umpire makes a decision on an lbw appeal was seen as a controversy waiting to happen.

If the umpire incorrectly gives the batsman out lbw and runs are scored off the pads, then those runs don't get counted even though the decision can be overturned.

This is exactly the situation that played out during Bangladesh's T20 World Cup match against South Africa in New York.

There, in the 17th over of the chase, Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah missed a flick off fast bowler Ottneil Baartman. The ball hit his pad and deflected to the boundary for what should have been four leg byes.

However, he was given out on that ball. Mahmudullah reviewed the decision and it was overturned but the ball was deemed dead at the point of impact. Therefore, the four runs after that did not count, according to the ICC's playing conditions for T20Is.

Inevitably, Bangladesh lost the match by four runs, chasing 114.

As the incident happened, commentators feared that moment could prove to be the difference in a low-scoring contest. And that is exactly how it turned out.

"That was not a good call for us in such a tight match. The umpire gave that out but it was pretty hard on us. Those four runs could have changed the match," Bangladesh batsman Towhid Hridoy said.

The problem is likely to persist until the rules of the game are changed. And there is a fear this situation could flare up during a knockout game or the final, especially with the number of low-scoring matches in this tournament.

A similar problem was encountered in ODIs during the 2019 World Cup final. In the title match between England and New Zealand, the scores were tied after 100 overs and the Super Over. England were then declared winners on boundary countback.

After that final, the ICC changed the rule whereby Super Overs would continue in case of a tie until a clear winner is found.