You know one thing large has occurred in sport when everybody’s consulting the rulebook.
That was the case on Sunday evening as cricket followers had been left surprised by Michael Neser’s aerial antics – and the choice of the umpires on the Gabba – within the Brisbane Heat’s win over the Sydney Sixers.
It was late within the Sixers’ chase of an enormous whole when Jordan Silk despatched the ball careening in direction of the boundary, the place Neser was positioned deep.
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He first made contact with the ball in play, throwing it up within the air to try to save the wicket and never concede a six.
But he needed to step out of bounds, and was a number of metres exterior of the boundary when he jumped within the air and once more made contact with the ball – however critically threw it into the air once more earlier than making contact with the bottom.
He then ran again in-bounds and accomplished the catch, leaving the Sixers positive it was a six and Neser positive it was a wicket. A assessment proved Neser was appropriate.
It was the second time the Heat had used the rule, 19.4.2 below the MCC Laws of Cricket, in recent times.
“The ball in play is to be regarded as being grounded beyond the boundary if
– a fielder, grounded beyond the boundary as in 19.5, touches the ball;
– a fielder, after catching the ball within the boundary, becomes grounded beyond the boundary while in contact with the ball, before completing the catch.”
Neser was not thought of grounded past the boundary (regardless of making contact with the ball having jumped from past the boundary) as a result of his first contact with the ball was in play.
“He wasn’t touching the ball when he touched the ball outside. I mean, jeez,” Adam Gilchrist mentioned on Fox Cricket.
Mark Howard replied: “So you tell me you can just continue to juggle it through the entire boundary, do three laps?”
The determination, whereas appropriate by the letter of the regulation, left cricket followers surprised.
“I knew (Matt) Renshaw did it a couple of years ago. I didn’t know if they’d changed the rules and thankfully they didn’t change the rules,” Neser mentioned.
Originally printed as ‘Most stupid rule in any sport, ever’: Cricket world floored as Neser’s aerial antics produce wicket
