WORLD CUP MOMENTS NO.13: The confusion of the re-toss in the 2011 final

There were two tosses in the middle at the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai after match referee Jeff Crowe failed to hear Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's call first time around

The boisterous nature of the crowd in World Cup finals is no rare occurence, and with a packed-house Wankhede Stadium, there was little surprise at the frenzy that had gripped Mumbai, and the rest of India for that matter, for the 2011 final.

What spectators did not expect, was that the noise that they generated would lead to confusion at the toss, and make match referee Jeff Crowe the centre of attention when occupying the middle with greats of the game such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravi Shastri.

Both captains were predictably keen to bat first and avoid chasing a huge score under the lights, and Dhoni believed that the initial rub of the green had fallen India's way when, having flipped the coin into the air, he thought he heard his opposite number call incorrectly and told toss host Shastri that his side would bat first.

However, Sangakkara had mumbled his call of either 'heads' or 'tails' and was drowned out by the aforementioned animated crowd at the Wankhede, to the detriment of Crowe, who immediately flagged that he had not heard the Sri Lankan.

So while many expected the opening exchanges to be fraught with nervous energy, tight bowling and a careful batting approach, it was a sense of confusion that initially pervaded throughout the ground — not least for the two captains by their own admission— even before the final had begun.

^{The second toss takes place after the debacle of the first}

The duo exchanged perplexing looks before Kiwi Crowe ordered a re-toss, even if the former India all-rounder Shastri had confirmed that the coin had landed on 'heads' in the first instance.

Moments later it was Sangakkara who had replaced Dhoni as the happier of the two captains when he won the re-toss, and had no hesitation in opting to bat first.

As ever with freak incidents just before or during a major event, the conspiracy theorists were out in their number within minutes of it occuring.

Speaking on BBC Test Match Special commentary, former England captain Michael Vaughan said: "I think there was a bit of skullduggery at the toss - Kumar Sangakkara knew he’d lost that first toss but he saw Dhoni hadn’t really heard him!"

Prior to that, Vaughan had also tweeted: "Sangakkarra has stuffed Dhoni... He shouted tail in the 1st toss and lost it ...You can hear it in on air.

"I hear tails shout at the toss...Others hear heads... Inconclusive on the replays."

The replays were watched several times over by host broadcaster ESPN Star Sports, analysing the utterance of a captain perhaps in as much detail as they would the technique and stance of a batsman or the action of a bowler.

^{Dhoni and Sangakkara both faced criticism for their role in the confusion}

Their reaction was definitive: Sangakkara had called 'heads' on both occasions. But then Dhoni's other senses, the touch to quickly whip off the bails and smelling when to go in for the kill, are usually finely tuned and being stood a few metres from the Sri Lanka captain, he heard completely the opposite.

Only Sangakkara will know well and truly what he called, but while Vaughan held Sangakkara accountable, former Sri Lankan pace bowler Ravindra Pushpakumara supported his countryman and put the blame on Dhoni for not paying attention to his fellow wicketkeeper's call.

"This is the first time in the history I have seen a toss being repeated since 1975 World Cup," he said. 

"I think Dhoni seems to be down psychologically and could not focus on what his counterpart called. 

"Also Dhoni’s reaction after Sri Lanka won the toss showed he was lacking in confidence."

However, it was Crowe who felt the most embarrasment, having also found himself involved in World Cup final controversy in barbados four years before, forgetting that a result between Australia and Sri Lanka in 2007 could be declared after 20 overs being bowled in the second innings as the game continued in near total darkness.

India nevertheless chased down 275 thanks to Dhoni's brilliant unbeaten 91 off 79 deliveries, ending a final with a bizarre start with sheer celebration for the hosts.

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Pre-order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.