Pat Cummins bowled a wild delivery which pitched wide of the strip to Virat Kohli in Australia’s World Cup opener against India today (October 8). Here’s why it was given as a no ball rather than a wide.

The Australia captain was bowling in the 28th over of India’s innings, with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli well set. Attempting a leg cutter to Kohli, Cummins hurled the ball well down the off side, have clearly lost his grasp of the ball too early in his action. The ball pitched well off the cut strip and extremely full, but despite being well outside the tramlines, it was not given as a wide.

 

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Instead, the umpire gave it as a no ball, and awarded a free hit for the next delivery. Cummins promptly sent that delivery down wide and had to bowl it again, which Kohli carved through mid wicket for four.

The reason the delivery was given as a no ball is outlined in Law 21.7 off the MCC Laws of Cricket. The law states: “The umpire shall call and signal No ball if a ball which he/she considers to have been delivered without having previously touched bat or person of the striker… pitches wholly or partially off the pitch as defined by Law 6.1 (Area of pitch) before it reaches the line of the striker’s wicket.”

In short, because the ball pitched before it was in line with Kohli’s stumps, it was called a no ball rather than a wide even though it pitched wide of the pitch.

India went on to win the match by six wickets, despite losing three wickets in the first two overs of their chase. Rahul finished unbeaten on 87 while Kohli was eventually out for 85 off 116 balls. Australia’s next match in the tournament will be against South Africa in Lucknow on Thursday (October 12).

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