Photo via BBC Sport

India avoid shock defeat by Japan after controversial wide

India narrowly avoided a massive upset against Japan in a shortened one-off T20 match at the Sano Cricket Ground, securing a two-run victory following a disputed wide delivery in the final over. Japan restricted the cricket heavyweights to 32-4 in five overs, with Charlie Hara-Hinze claiming two wickets including Abhishek Sharma on the first ball, while Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 16 runs for the visitors.

During the run chase, Japan needed eight runs from the last six balls when Axar Patel bowled a delivery down the leg side that was initially ruled a wide by the umpire. After protests from the bowling side, the ruling was reversed because batter Alexander Shirai-Patmore had altered his stance to attempt a reverse sweep, adhering to specific regulations regarding unorthodox shots.

Japan ultimately fell short at 30-3, completing an impressive near-miss ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.