UP Warriorz coach John Lewis expresses frustration over Chamari Athapaththu dismissal

The recent Women’s Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore Women and UP Warriorz Women was marred by controversy surrounding the dismissal of Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu. Despite her team’s strong start, Athapaththu’s dismissal in the 7th over, adjudged leg-before wicket off Georgia Wareham’s delivery, changed the course of the game. The decision, which came after RCB reviewed the not-out call, was controversial as it appeared Athapaththu had gotten an inside edge.

UP Warriorz coach Jon Lewis expressed his frustration, stating, “You watch the ball with the naked eye, and you think it might pitch in line, just maybe, Then you look at the ball rotating, and well, it’s rotating like a legspinner. There are not many legspinners that go towards that [other] side. It was a fascinating dismissal and a massive turning point for us in that game.”

Lewis emphasized the impact of Athapaththu’s dismissal, saying, “Chamari is an amazing player and you saw how difficult it was when a left-hander and a right-hander were batting together, of the quality of Smriti [Mandhana] and Ellyse Perry. And they can access the short side of the ground. That was one of the reasons why we picked Chamari, to be able to access the short side of the ground for both the right and the left-hander. So to lose her in that way was incredibly frustrating.”

He also expressed confusion regarding the Hawk-Eye technology’s assessment, which indicated the ball was hitting the stumps, saying, “I don’t know the ins and outs of hawk-eye and the technology and how it works. But it was certainly an interesting passage of play and something that we are pretty frustrated about.”

Despite a late surge from Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar, UP Warriorz fell short of the target, finishing on 175/8 in response to RCB’s 198/3. Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry’s aggressive innings had set the stage for RCB’s victory.

The controversy overshadowed RCB’s thumping victory and ascent to third place on the table, with UP Warriorz slipping to fourth. The incident highlighted the impact technology can have on the game and raised questions about its accuracy and interpretation.

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