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Sri Lanka umpire Kumar Dharmasena has been criticised for signaling inside edge during England’s LBW appeal against Sai Sudharsan.
Kumar Dharmasena indicated an inside edge to the England players (Picture credit: X)
Sri Lanka umpire Kumar Dharmasena came under fire on Thursday when he was seen indicating to the players that there was a clear inside edge when England appealed for an LBW of Sai Sudharsan, prompting fans to question if an on-field umpire is allowed to do the same.
The incident came to light after England pacer Josh Tongue’s ball to Sudharsan prompted a minor appeal from the fielders.
It was a full, inswinging ball that struck Sudharsan low on the pad, causing him to lose his balance and drop to his haunches. Dharmasena shook his head as the England cricketers appealed.
While shaking his head, Dharmasena gestured with his fingers as well, indicating to the cricketers that he believed Sudharsan had inside-edged the delivery onto his pad.
Replays later confirmed that Sudharsan had indeed got an inside edge on the ball, sparing him from what appeared to be a straightforward LBW dismissal.
“Why is Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena telling the English bowler that it’s a clear edge by showing his fingers?” a fan questioned.
Why is Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena telling the English bowler that it’s a clear edge by showing his fingers?@ICC what’s going on ? Clearly he is fixing there because he showed that signal that’s why English fielders don’t appeal after that and don’t go for review… pic.twitter.com/hkqu6UFd2X— MK (@mkr4411) July 31, 2025
“Is Kumar Dharmasena Helping England Bowlers ?? By explaining the reason for denying an appeal 🤔🤔,” another fan tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
It is not uncommon for umpires to explain their reasoning behind a not-out decision to the cricketers on the field. But it gets more controversial when the Decision Review System is available.
This is because when umpires indicate they believe there was an inside edge, it can deter cricketers from opting for a review, saving them from losing one they might have otherwise used.
However, there is nothing in the rules that prevents an umpire from explaining the reasoning behind their decision.
“Either the captain or the two batters may, in respect of a decision relating to an appeal for LBW, question the bowler’s end umpire as to whether his/her decision has been made on the basis that the striker made no genuine attempt to play the ball with the bat,” Article 32.2.3 of the Test Playing Conditions says.
“Under no other circumstance is any player permitted to query an umpire about any aspect of a decision before deciding on whether or not to request a Player Review,” the article adds.
Therefore, the conditions don’t prohibit Dharmasena from signalling to the England cricketers that he believed Sudharsan had edged the ball.
It would have been against the rules for the England cricketers to ask Dharmasena whether Sudharsan had hit the ball, something they didn’t do.
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