The Proteas were left fuming when they had Marnus Labuschagne caught at first slip for 70, only for the third umpire to overrule the umpires’ soft signal of out.
After watching several replays, Richard Kettleborough ruled that the ball had touched the ground between the fingers of Harmer, who had taken the catch off Marco Jansen’s bowling.
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“That’s a catch for me. I felt like he got his fingers underneath that ball. That’s a real shame for South Africa,” former Australia Women’s cricketer Kristen Beams said on ABC Grandstand.
Veteran ABC commentator Jim Maxwell tweeted that Labuschagne should have been out, labelling it a “poor decision”.
Caught at slip! Or maybe not…
Marnus Labuschagne is not out on 70 #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/OZ6N06fRZ6
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 4, 2023
Ultra zoom on the contentious catch ? #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/CRSmMCe0MU
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 4, 2023
Labuschagne’s luck did eventually run out, though, as he was dismissed for 79 by Anrich Nortje off what proved to be the last ball of the day.
The lion-hearted Anrich Nortje strikes again! ?
And he loves it! #PlayOfTheDay#AUSvSA | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/QkOjdyKm6U
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 4, 2023