Friday, 3rd April, 2020


Waited for clouds to clear before I confirmed Dhoni’s runout: Umpire Nigel Llong

13, May 2019 By dasu

Hyderabad: TV Umpire Nigel Llong took more time than the duration of an average Ashutosh Gowariker movie to give Dhoni run out. He has now come out with a clarification about why it took so much time.


“Due to rains previous day, there were clouds cover over the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. I was waiting for them to clear before I had a clear view where Dhoni’s bat was when Ishan Kishan threw the stumps down at the non-striker’s end”, said Nigel Llong while addressing the press after the match.

Mumbai Indian and CSK team officials who were getting impatient as the post-match IPL party was getting delayed, pushed a handwritten paper signed by chiefs of both teams through the door where Nigel was sitting. They wrote, tomorrow is Monday, we have to join our office. Please take your decision, we will accept it gracefully.

“There is no Virat out there, you can take whatever decision you have to take. Dhoni or Rohit won’t argue with you after the match”, Match referee Javagal Srinath was heard saying to Nigel standing outside his room.

Nigel Llong did not budge. “This is not an airstrike, we can wait. Have patience”, Nigel told Srinath. While waiting for clouds to clear, Nigel then started repairing tata sky boxes he broke as they do not work when there is rain anywhere in the world.