Spirit of cricket debate rages again as England's Tom Curran is caught out of his crease in ILT20

A bizarre incident at the International T20 League in Abu Dhabi has once again sparked intense debate about the spirit of cricket. The controversy bears a striking resemblance to the earlier situation involving England's Jonny Bairstow leaving his crease during the Ashes series.

England's Tom Curran, playing for the Gulf Giants against the MI Emirates, grounded his bat after a run, then left his crease to inspect the pitch. At that moment, Emirates fielder Kieron Pollard returned the ball to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran. While the ball was still in the air, Pooran quickly dislodged Curran's bails and appealed for a dismissal.

Pooran, also the captain of the Emirates, engaged with the umpire. The umpire appeared to ask Pooran if he wished to withdraw the appeal, but Pooran refused, and the decision was then referred to the third umpire. After approximately two minutes of deliberation, the third umpire ultimately ruled Curran out. As Curran left the field, his coach, former England manager Andy Flower, approached the boundary, signaling for Curran to stay put. After a three-and-a-half-minute standoff, Curran returned to the crease, while Emirates fielder, also an Englishman, Tom Banton, seemed to be signaling for him to come back.

Pooran shook his head in disbelief as the scene unfolded. At the time of the incident, Curran's team needed 17 runs to win within 12 balls. He later scored three runs, and his team eventually won the match. The exact reason he was sent back to the crease remains unclear, as Pooran seemed to stand by his appeal, and the third umpire had already ruled Curran out.

Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph told the Emirates' official website after the match that it seemed someone believed the umpire had called "over" before Curran left his crease. Joseph stated, "At that time, when he left his crease, the ball was still on its way back. It was supposed to be out. But the umpire had called over, so there was nothing we could do about it."