Axar Patel's Reversed Wide in Sano: India vs Japan

Axar Patel's Reversed Wide in Sano decided the last over of a rain-shortened men's T20 on 22 September 2026. India made 32 for 4. Japan made 30 for 3. India won by two runs after the umpires changed one wide into a legal dot.

Match facts

Axar Patel's reversed wide in Sano

Match overview

Rain and a wet ground cut the match to five overs a side. India won the toss and batted. They were 14 for 3 before Iyer's 16 off 12. Charlie Hara-Hinze took 2 for 17, including Abhishek Sharma for a duck off the first ball. India closed on 32 for 4, so Japan needed 33.

Japan were 8 for 2 after two overs, then scored 17 off the next two. They began the last over at 25 for 3, with eight runs still wanted. Washington's two wickets had cost 13 runs. Axar bowled that last over. His match figures were no wicket for 7 from two overs.

The final over

What the scorecard shows

The last over is logged as 4.1 dot, 4.2 single, 4.3 wide, 4.3 dot, 4.4 single, 4.5 single, 4.6 single. That is five runs, and Japan finished on 30 for 3. The first 4.3 stayed a wide. The second 4.3 is the ball that was signalled wide and then entered as a dot. Shirai-Patmore finished not out on 2 off 3.

What Law 22.1 asks

MCC Law 22.1.2 says a ball is not passing wide of the striker if it is sufficiently within reach to be hit by a normal cricket stroke. Law 22.4.1 says the umpire shall not call a wide when the striker's movement brings the ball within that reach. A ball down the original leg side is therefore not automatic once the batter has moved across to play a reverse sweep.

The BBC match report says the ICC men's T20I playing conditions go one step further: once a batter moves hands or feet to play a reversed shot, both sides of the wicket are treated as the off side for the wide. The umpires did not publish a written reason. The scorecard is the record of the outcome. There was no television umpire, so the change was an on-field correction after Thurgate and Brown spoke.

What the equation became

Coming into the second 4.3, Japan needed six runs from four balls. A wide that stood would have made that five from four, because a wide adds a run and does not use up a ball. A dot does the opposite on both counts. The BBC report states the result of the reversal: six needed off three, instead of five off four.

The next three balls were singles. Japan scored five runs from the over and ended on 30 for 3, two runs short of 33. The last over cost Axar five of his seven runs. The other over cost two.

Scorecard

Scorecard: India vs Japan, one-off men's T20, Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, 22 September 2026. India 32 for 4 in 5 overs beat Japan 30 for 3 in 5 overs by two runs (BBC Sport match report and the NDTV ball-by-ball scorecard). The wide test is MCC Law 22.1, with Law 22.4.1 covering a batter who moves into the line of the ball.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the India vs Japan T20 in Sano? India made 32 for 4 and Japan made 30 for 3 in a match cut to five overs a side. India won by two runs at the Sano International Cricket Ground on 22 September 2026.

Why was Axar Patel's wide reversed? Alexander Shirai-Patmore had shifted across and attempted a reverse sweep. Under Law 22.1.2 and Law 22.4.1, a delivery is not a wide when that movement brings it within reach of a normal cricket stroke. The ball was re-entered as a dot.

What did Japan need after the reversal? Six runs from three balls. If the wide had stood, they would have needed five from four. They did not need five from two, or four from three, at the moment the call changed.

Who were the umpires? Chris Thurgate was the on-field umpire and signalled the wide. Chris Brown was at square leg. The match had no television umpire.

Was Axar Patel player of the match? No. Shreyas Iyer was player of the match for 16 off 12. Axar's figures were 7 runs and no wicket from two overs, including the last over.