<p>To put it mildly, Matthew Hayden’s comments during his commentary were not appreciated.<br />
When India’s T20I squad beat Australia in the fifth series match by six runs to seal the series 4-1, it somewhat alleviated the suffering that the ODI team had to go through two weeks before in the World Cup final. At Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Indian bowlers managed to win the match by six runs, even though their total of 160 was seen as a low score. This was mostly due to some outstanding death-overs bowling from Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh. India had the last laugh because of Mukesh’s 3/32 and Arshdeep’s 2/40, the latter of which successfully defended 10 off the last over.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-295636″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has–750×414.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com in the suspenseful ind vs aus drama hayden says controversially on air umpire has” width=”986″ height=”544″ title=”In the suspenseful IND vs. AUS drama, Hayden says controversially on-air, "Umpire has done his job for the second time this over" 3″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has–750×414.jpg 750w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has–1024×565.jpg 1024w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has–768×424.jpg 768w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has–150×83.jpg 150w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-in-the-suspenseful-ind-vs-aus-drama-hayden-says-controversially-on-air-umpire-has-.jpg 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px” /></p>
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<p>But there was some controversy at the end when two questionable umpire moves helped India in the last over, prompting an unwelcome comment from Australian great Matthew Hayden on the broadcast. When Arshdeep’s bouncer was visibly over Matthew Wade’s head and later when the umpire was inadvertently struck by a Nathan Ellis strike, Hayden was providing commentary.</p>
<p>The square leg umpire missed the first ball of the over even though it was obviously wide over head height. Wade seemed very incensed with the call and voiced his disgust, which was understandable. At that point, Hayden said, “It’s clear why he’s upset—that was a wide.” Far above his capabilities. It must also have to do with his role. That ball was still above his head when he stood up on it.”</p>
<p>Ellis struck the ball cleanly four balls later, deflecting it off Arshdeep’s hands and onto the umpire’s right leg. The ball would have been heading straight if not for the deflection, but Sharma reacted quickly. Unfortunately, Australia’s luck was not in their favor. As he watched, Hayden only said, “This is the second time this over that the umpire has done his job. Check out what’s here. Instead of on square, it’s the one in front this time. Here, they are working in pairs.”</p>
<p>Why Hayden’s statement was inappropriate<br />
“Didn’t really like this statement by Matthew Hayden,” one Twitter user said, while another replied, “Pathetic from a pundit! It doesn’t really matter; at most, it would have been a few.”</p>
<p>One believes that Hayden’s remarks weren’t necessary. First off, the fielder at long-on was much straighter, so even if the umpire could have moved aside, it would have only resulted in a single, which would have reduced the number of balls needed to finish the calculation to eight. Although the first ball’s wide might be a legitimate cause of argument, even it would have only resulted in a one-run differential, which would not have been enough for Australia to win.</p>
