Durban: Commentator Pommie Mbangwa took a cheeky dig at fellow commentator and former India wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa while referencing Suryakumar Yadav’s iconic catch from the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
The incident occurred on the fourth delivery of the 12th over of the Paarl Royals’ innings, bowled by Afghan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman. Opener Quinton de Kock played a lofted shot towards the straight boundary, and Rubin Hermann executed a clean catch, eerily similar to the one Suryakumar Yadav took to dismiss David Miller in the final over of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The third umpire's decision to declare Quinton De Kock out appears to be a blatant case of rigging aka match fixing. This suggests either a significant oversight or a deliberate bias, especially since the fielder evidently touched the boundary rope #SA20 https://t.co/HsqqUGz4ab pic.twitter.com/kd3Ms0eMMI
— Ykush_Tyagiᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ (@Ykush_Tyagi) January 23, 2025
As the replay of the match played on the big screen, Pommie Mbangwa humorously remarked, “What would your decision Robbie? Uthappa replied to the question saying, "Yes. It's definitely out."
Quinton de Kock was not out BTW!
— MOHIT SHUKLA (@MohitShukla1030) January 23, 2025
The fielder clearly touched the boundary pic.twitter.com/1mxg1rap21
"You will say yes as it reminds you of Suryakumar Yadav's catch in the T20 World Cup,” Mbangwa further added.
Quinton De Kock was robbed 😅
— Juice Bottler 🐦 (@JuiceBottler) January 23, 2025
Fielder's ankle clearly brushed the ropes.pic.twitter.com/zTwdnd2VSF
The comment drew chuckles from the commentary box, but Uthappa, who had been on the air, didn't respond to it while others were laughing on loud.
Just look at Quinton De Kock catch at the boundary 😂 the fielder clearly touched the fence and the 3rd umpire ruled it out without looking at any other angle and people believe that T20 league games aren't fixed 😂 #SA20
— Ykush_Tyagiᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ (@Ykush_Tyagi) January 23, 2025
As for the match itself, Hermann’s catch sent de Kock back to the pavilion, putting the Paarl Royals in a strong position. Mujeeb ur Rahman, who was the bowler, continued to pile pressure on the Durban Super Giants, showcasing his exceptional skills in the middle overs.
Notably, all the commentators acknowledged the third umpire's decision, but the fans went berserk as they felt the fielder's feet touched the boundary rope this time.
Needing 16 runs from the final over, South Africa had David Miller on the strike. The southpaw hit a wide full toss from Hardik Pandya but Suryakumar was able to catch the ball inside the ropes at long-off, realised it just as he went over the boundary, and then came back in to complete an astonishing catch.
