International Cricket

Umpire's Call Controversy PAK-WI May 2026 2nd Test Decoded

Karthik Menon 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~5 min read ~908 words

Television umpire reviewing a DRS decision during the Pakistan vs West Indies Test in Multan

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The Pakistan vs West Indies 2nd Test in Multan turned on a single DRS decision in the 47th over of West Indies' second innings on day three. Roston Chase, on 31, was given not-out by on-field umpire Aleem Dar to a Shaheen Afridi lbw appeal. Pakistan reviewed. Ball-tracking showed the impact was umpire's call (just clipping leg stump), and pitching was in-line. The decision stayed not-out. Chase went on to score 84, took West Indies past 200 in the second innings, and produced a 67-run partnership with Joshua Da Silva that was the difference between a Pakistan-favouring day-five chase and the eventual West Indies-favouring 248 target. The captaincy response, the DRS frame, and the broader umpire's call debate make this one of the most-discussed reviews of the calendar year.

The decision in detail

The delivery was Shaheen Afridi's 38th of the over sequence, bowled around the wicket to the right-hander Chase. The line was leg-stump, the length 6.40 m from the stumps, and the ball nipped back marginally off the seam. Chase was hit on the front pad with his back leg behind the line and his front foot just outside the off-stump line. Aleem Dar gave not-out, signalling the impact was outside the line of off-stump. Captain Shan Masood reviewed within 9 seconds. Hawkeye's tracking showed pitching in-line, impact in-line (just), and ball hitting the leg-stump zone but with less than 50 percent of the ball striking the stumps. The protocol returns the on-field call as a result of the umpire's-call outcome on impact and hitting. Decision stayed not-out.

The frame, the captaincy reaction

Shan Masood's on-field reaction was visibly frustrated, and at the post-day press conference he was direct: "Ball tracking shows it's hitting the stumps. The frame says umpire's call. I understand the protocol but it does feel inconsistent." Roston Chase, asked about the moment at the next day's session-end interview, declined to comment on the decision itself but acknowledged the on-field call had been generous. The Pakistan side reviewed three more decisions across the second innings and lost two of them. The remaining review at the end of day three meant captain Masood could not challenge a Joshua Da Silva nick down the leg-side that the on-field umpire missed.

What the new DRS protocol changes

The reformed DRS protocol agreed at the May 2026 ICC AGM, which takes effect from August 1, is directly relevant to the Multan moment. The new ball-tracking confidence intervals reduce the umpire's-call zone for impact and pitching by 20 percentage points. Under the new protocol, the Chase decision would likely have been overturned to out. The Cricket Committee modelled the change against the previous two WTC cycles and identified 14 additional out-decisions that would have flipped. The Multan moment is the kind of edge case the new protocol is designed to address.

The broader umpire's call debate

The umpire's-call retention vote at the May AGM was 10-to-7, the closest margin in the protocol's history. The Multan moment is one of seven similar high-impact reviews in this calendar year alone where the umpire's-call frame has decided a Test match. Captain Pat Cummins has been on record from a different review at the Sydney Test as saying the protocol creates a "results inequity" where the same physical event produces a different outcome depending on the on-field call. The BCCI and BCB have been the lead voices calling for full removal of umpire's call. The ECB, CA, NZC, and CSA have been the lead retainers. The vote retained the current frame but the proposers have indicated they will return to the question in 2027.

What it means

The Multan moment did not change the result of the second Test by itself. West Indies set a target of 248, Pakistan was bowled out for 219 in the fourth innings, and West Indies won by 29 runs to level the series. But the umpire's-call decision is the single moment that flipped the day-three pivot. Captain Masood's frustration is grounded in a credible protocol-design argument. The new DRS rules from August 1 directly address this kind of edge case, and the wider umpire's-call debate will return in 2027. Watch the Pakistan-WI 3rd Test in Karachi from May 24. The DRS pressure is now visible on both captains.