'Cushion had moved, but...', Shaun Pollock's verdict on Suryakumar Yadav's stunning catch in T20 World Cup final

Suryakumar Yadav made the headlines during India’s T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, with a spectacular catch to dismiss David Miller and change the complexion of the game. South Africa, looking to chase 177, needed 16 runs off the final over.

Hardik Pandya, the bowler, bowled a low full toss to Miller in the first ball, and the latter played a loft down the ground that travelled towards Suryakumar Yadav at long-off, who seemingly completed the catch before toppling over the rope. His feet, however, remained inside the rope but his quick presence of mind helped him lob the ball back into play and eventually complete the catch.

The dismissal, however, created some sort of stir on social media. It was regarding if the boundary rope cushion had been pushed back and if SKY’s foot might have misplaced the cushion.

Watch | Suryakumar Yadav receives Best Fielder medal from Jay Shah after match-defining catch in T20 World Cup final

“If a solid object used to mark the boundary is disturbed for any reason, the object shall be returned to its original position as soon as is practicable; if play is taking place, this shall be as soon as the ball is dead,” states section 19.3.2 of the ICC Playing Conditions.

However, former South Africa cricketer Shaun Pollock feels that although the cushion did move, that was during the course of the game and that Suryakumar Yadav had not stood on the cushion. “The catch was fine. The cushion had moved, but that’s in the course of the game. It had nothing to do with Surya. He didn’t stand on the cushion. Brilliant bit of skill,” Pollock told The Times of Karachi.

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Hardik would eventually give away just eight runs in the final over, to help India clinch their first ICC trophy in 11 years. Earlier, Virat Kohli (76) and Axar Patel (47) had led the Men in Blue to 176/7 after they had won the toss and opted to bat. Kohli was later named the Player of the Match, whereas Jasprit Bumrah (15 wickets) won the Player of the Tournament. The senior trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced retirement from T20Is after the final.