Saturday, March 29, 2025
A major controversy erupted during the India vs Pakistan Women’s World Cup 2025 league match in Colombo on Sunday after the toss decision appeared to go in Pakistan’s favour despite video evidence suggesting India should have won.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur tossed the coin, and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana called “tails.”
Match referee Shandre Fritz and presenter Mel Jones announced that the call was “heads,” and since the coin had landed on heads, India should have won the toss.
However, in a surprising turn, the match officials declared Pakistan as the winner of the toss and immediately asked Fatima Sana for her decision. She opted to field first.
This sequence, which was caught on camera and broadcast live by Star Sports, has left Indian fans furious, many calling it a “clear injustice” to Team India.
Social media erupted soon after the video clip went viral. Fans and cricket analysts questioned how such a basic error could happen on the sport’s biggest stage.
While some suggest that Harmanpreet Kaur might not have noticed the mistake amid the noise and pressure, many argue that the responsibility squarely lies with the match referee and presenter, whose job is to confirm the correct call.
At present, India is batting first as Pakistan chose to bowl after being declared the toss winner.
Such incidents are extremely rare in international cricket, where toss procedures are usually clear and carefully monitored. The controversy has sparked debate about whether the ICC should review the toss footage in such cases to avoid errors that could influence high-profile matches.
With the India-Pakistan clash already one of the most high-voltage encounters of the Women’s World Cup, the toss mix-up has added another layer of drama to the contest.
