Umpiring howler goes unnoticed! Reiffel, Knights miss crucial strike-rotation error

Axar Patel (Pic credit: BCCI)NEW DELHI: An unusual umpiring error went unnoticed during the fifth ODI between India and New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, with both on-field umpires and the third umpire seemingly missing a mistake involving the strike rotation after a drinks break.The incident occurred at the end of the 14th over of India's innings when Axar Patel took a single off Blair Tickner's bowling. However, when play resumed after the scheduled drinks break, it was Shreyas Iyer who took strike at the beginning of the 15th over instead of Axar.The mix-up went unnoticed by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Wayne Knights, while the third umpire also did not intervene to correct the apparent error.According to the ball-by-ball commentary, Axar took the single on the final delivery of the 14th over, which should have put him on strike for the next over. However, Kristian Clarke bowled the first delivery of the 15th over to Iyer, who defended it without scoring.The game continued without the officials addressing the apparent strike-rotation mistake.How the strike-rotation error happenedThe incident unfolded on the final delivery of the 14th over, when Tickner bowled a short delivery to Axar. The Indian all-rounder made room and attempted to guide the ball over the infield, with the ball going over wicketkeeper Tim Seifert and the slip fielder.New Zealand's Duffy ran around from third man to prevent further damage, allowing the Indian batters to complete just one run.The single meant Axar should have faced the first delivery after the drinks interval. Instead, Iyer remained at the striker's end when the teams returned to the field.The first ball of the 15th over was a fullish delivery from Clarke, which Iyer met with a solid forward defence.The error was particularly striking because the drinks interval provided an opportunity for the officials to verify the batting positions before play resumed. However, neither the on-field officials nor the third umpire appeared to notice the discrepancy.India recover after early batting collapseThe unusual incident came during a difficult period for India, who were attempting to rebuild after losing their top-order batters cheaply.The visitors had already suffered early setbacks, with both Axar and Iyer surviving dropped chances before the drinks break. The pitch offered some assistance to the New Zealand bowlers, with occasional bounce and deliveries holding up on the surface.India eventually recovered through contributions from Axar and Ishan Kishan, both of whom scored 46, while Naman Dhir added a late 22 to take the visitors to 209 all out in 42.1 overs.India's bowlers subsequently produced a remarkable comeback, defending the modest target to secure a 22-run victory and seal the five-match ODI series 3-1.Arshdeep Singh led the bowling effort with 3/30 as New Zealand were bowled out for 187 in 48.1 overs.The two sides will next meet in a two-Test series beginning November 19.