Ajaz Patel warned Mominul Haque during New Zealand’s first Test match against Bangladesh, pointing at how far the non-striker was out of his crease before Patel had delivered the ball.

Mominul Haque was relatively new to the crease at the Sylhet International Stadium when the incident happened. Bangladesh were 133-2 after lunch with Mahmudul Hasan Joy at the striker’s end on 61 and Mominul on seven at the other. Patel had already claimed his first wicket of the match, bowling Zakir Hasan for 12.

On the fourth ball of the 39th over, Patel suddenly stopped as he entered the final jump of his delivery. He then pointed at Mominul’s bat which was a distance out of the crease when Patel had come into bowl.

Despite the implied warning that, should Mominul continue to steal ground at the non-striker’s end, Patel would run him out, Patel was smiling as he walked back to his mark.

Law 38.3 says of dismissing a non-striking batter: “At any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be Run out if he/she is out of his/her ground.

“The instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball is defined as the moment the bowler’s arm reaches the highest point of his/her normal bowling action in the delivery swing.”

Mominul went on to score 37 off 78 balls Glenn Phillips had him caught behind. Patel took two wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings, snaring Mushfiqur Rahim for his second. New Zealand reduced Bangladesh to 310-9 having been put into field on the first day of the first Test match of the series. Phillips was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets in only his second Test match.

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