A stumping by Alyssa Healy was turned down by the third umpire after she whipped the bails off with her right hand while holding the ball in her left glove during the 2022 Commonwealth Games opener between Australia and India.

The incident occurred during of the ninth over of India’s innings when Tahlia McGrath sent down a wide ball down the leg-side to Shafali Verma. The India opener, who had come down the pitch, missed her attempt at making a connection, with the ball settling in Healy’s gloves. The Australia keeper immediately whipped the bails off, but shook her head, seemingly suggesting she was withdrawing her appeal, but the on-field umpires referred the dismissal to the TV umpire.

Verma survived despite not making her ground as replays showed Healy dislodged the stumps with the right glove, which was not holding the ball. She then proceeded to disturb the stumps further with the left glove that had the ball, but too late to dismiss Verma.

According to MCC Law 29.1.1.5, a wicket can be fairly put down “by a fielder with his/her hand or arm, providing that the ball is held in the hand or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used,” which was not done by Healy.

A similar incident had panned out during the 2021 County Championship when Leicestershire’s Hassan Azad was erroneously stumped by Hampshire wicketkeeper Lewis McManus, despite the gloveman breaking the stumps with his left and having the ball in his right hand. There is no Decision Review System in place in English domestic first-class cricket. McManus received a three-point penalty by the England Cricket Board for misconduct following the incident.

Healy, however, is expected to escape any scrutiny, because Verma was not given out, and also because she had immediately shaken her head after the incident to signal that she did not believe she had completed the stumping.