Why would teams gamble on a DRS review for this ball?

(David Warner and the third umpire share a chuckle as Pakistan's review turns into a comedy)

Cricket has advanced a lot in terms of technology with the introduction of the Decision Review System. This was launched in the sport so that the players would have an opportunity to challenge the decisions made by the on-field umpires. However, there have been several instances where the DRS calls took a hilarious turn, as they didn't go as planned by the captain who took the review. Instead of challenging the decisions made by the umpires, these decisions have been hilarious for the players and even the cricket fans. In this blog, fans will be able to look at some of the funniest DRS calls, which made the players, umpires, fans, and even the commentators break down into laughter.

DRS Calls which were Far From Close

The Decision Review System was launched in the cricket world so that the players would have the opportunity to challenge the decisions made by the on-field umpires. The ICC has specified the number of reviews available for each team per inning, which is limited and the captains ensure to use them wisely. However, DRS has not been used wisely every time since it was launched, as some appeals were rather counted as hilarious.

1. Bangladesh's Bizarre Review

The Bangladesh cricket team has been one of the teams taking the worst reviews in cricket history, as their case took place recently in March 2024. In the Test match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh took a review of LBW against Kusal Mendis. During the 44th over of the game, Taijul Islam bowled a normal delivery to Kusal Mendis.

(Najmul Hossain Shanto calls for a review despite Kusal Mendis clearly middling the ball with his bat)

Mendis could defend it from the front foot, and the ball middled his bat. However, this might not have been clearly visible to the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who thought that the ball had contacted the pads and could be out. Therefore, Bangladesh decided to take a review to challenge the decision made by the umpire.

The commentators were also shocked after having a look at the Bangladesh cricket team, who took a review regarding the same. When the third umpire checked upon it, the decision was made within seconds and cost them one review. This incident also took over the internet and has been termed as one of the worst DRS ever.

2. Pakistan's Weirdest Caught Behind Review

The Pakistan Cricket team has its own set of wrong reviews taken by the team, which brings out several funny moments in their name. In a Test match against Australia, Pakistan took no time, wasting one of their reviews in the initial stages of the game. Mohammad Amir was bowling against David Warner, but Warner failed to make contact with the bowl.

(Pakistan's puzzling DRS call as the ball sails far from Warner's bat)

Mohammad Amir thought that the ball had contacted the bat before reaching Sarfaraz Ahmad and requested the captain, Misbah Ul Haq to take a review regarding the same. Upon taking the review, it was found that the ball had a lot of distance from the bat, and it was nearly two inches away.

3. Bangladesh's Another Hilarious Review

There have been several instances where the Bangladesh cricket team has taken up the wrong reviews. In another Test match incident against New Zealand, Bangladesh made a similar mistake to the one they made recently in the Test match against Sri Lanka.

(A baffling review despite Ross Taylor clearly middling the delivery with his bat)

Ross Taylor was batting against Taskin Ahmed in the 37th over when he defended a well-bowled yorker. Taskin Ahmed thought the ball contacted the pads first, so he asked the captain for a review. However, the third umpire took hardly 10 seconds to reach a decision, which showcased that the ball middled the bat and was nowhere close to the pads.

4. New Zealand's Caught Behind Close Call

In the Test match against Pakistan, New Zealand was able to dominate as they set a target above 350 runs for the Pakistani batsmen to chase. Matt Henry bowled a delivery to Azhar Ali, who batted at 17 runs in 63 balls. The bowl was a well-directed bouncer and somehow looked like it contacted the bat.

(Matt Henry's jubilant celebration lights up the field)

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson appealed to the umpire, who showed no interest in that delivery, for which Williamson decided to take up a review. When the replays were shown for the third umpire decision, the ball was nowhere near Azhar Ali, which came out to be one of the funniest DRS calls taken by the New Zealand cricket team.

5. Bangladesh's Wrong Review for Kohli's Wicket

Another infamous incident regarding the wrong reviews taken by the Bangladesh cricket team was against India. During a Test match against India, the Bangladeshi bowlers were struggling to take wickets, as India was standing at the score of 223 with the loss of two, and Virat Kohli was having a great partnership with Murali Vijay for the third wicket.

(Virat Kohli can't contain his laughter after Bangladesh's uproarious review attempt)

In the 62nd over, Taijul Islam bowled a delivery to Kohli, which he pushed away to the off side. In a foul attempt to take the wicket of the Indian captain, Mustafizur Rahman requested a review on this delivery when Kohli was batting at the score of 31. The third umpire just saw the review once to decide to favour the Indian cricket team.

6. Adil Rashid’s “Worst Ever” Termed Review

Australia and England have been arch rivals, and the fans have watched several aggressive moments when these teams go against each other. But the fans never expected this clash to go hilarious when Adil Rashid made it possible with a hilarious DRS call. The Australian team struggled with the batting, as they lost wickets early.

(England sends this LBW appeal to DRS despite Aaron Finch clearly middling the shot)

Aaron Finch was on the crease against Adil Rashid when he easily defended the ball. However, Rashid thought that the ball would have contacted the pads and wanted a review for the same, for which he even got approval from the team's captain. But when the review went upstairs, it was clearly visible that the ball had no contact with the pad, and it even middled the bat. This has also been regarded as one of the funniest DRS calls made by any English player.