Australia all-rounder Cooper Connolly was wrongly given out stumped in the third T20I against Pakistan, as the dismissal did not meet the requirements of the current ICC playing conditions.
Chasing a target of 208, Cooper Connolly came in to bat with Australia struggling at 82 for 6, with the game already slipping away. He survived just two balls before becoming Mohammad Nawaz’s fifth wicket of the match.
The left-hander charged down the pitch but missed the delivery completely as it turned sharply down the leg side. Pakistan wicketkeeper Khawaja Nafay completed what appeared to be a straightforward stumping, with Connolly well out of his crease.
Australia was reduced to 82 for 7 following the dismissal and was eventually bowled out for 96, suffering a 111-run loss, their heaviest defeat in T20 international cricket.
However, television replays later showed that Nafay had broken the stumps using his left hand while the ball was held in his right hand. This detail went unnoticed by the on-field officials at the time. Under the ICC’s playing conditions, such a dismissal is not considered valid.
Third umpire gave stumping, but ball was in Khawaja Nafay’s right hand while he removed the bail with his empty left hand . How is this valid? #Cricket #Pakistan #ICC #PakistanvsAustralia pic.twitter.com/deSHnGVpSQ
— Kazim Malik (@KazimMalik17) February 1, 2026
Clause 29.2.1 of the ICC Men’s T20 playing conditions states that a wicket is broken fairly only if the fielder is holding the ball in the same hand used to remove the bails or uproot the stumps.
Since Nafay was not holding the ball in the hand that broke the stumps, the dismissal did not meet the requirements of a fair stumping, and Connolly should not have been given out.
The controversial decision added to a difficult series for Australia, which struggled throughout against Pakistan’s spinners. They were swept 3–0 in the three-match series just a week before the T20 World Cup and suffered two of their three biggest defeats in T20I history during the tour.
Australia will now have only one warm-up match, against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 5, before beginning their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on February 11.
Pakistan, meanwhile, is scheduled to play a warm-up game against Ireland on February 4 before opening its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7.
