Cameron Green’s dismissal by Ravindra Jadeja in the World Test Championship final today (June 10) was an unusual one, with the batter attempting to kick the ball away, missing, and then gloving down into the ground and onto his stumps.

But while the eventual nature of the wicket was strange, there was sound cricketing logic behind Jadeja’s method, which perhaps resulted in the all-rounder missing with his attempted pad-up. CricViz revealed how Jadeja’s release point was one of the widest he had bowled to Green in the innings.

Jadeja is not generally a bowler who relies on putting massive action on the ball and beating batters with big turn. Instead, he opts for subtle tweaks and minor adjustments while focussing on a good line and length, hoping to tie batters down and wait for some natural variation to do the job. However, with Green content to stay the course, scoring at a strike rate well below 30, it was unlucky a rash stroke would prove his undoing.

In this case, it’s easy to see how bowling the ball from wider on the crease could have outfoxed Green. The Australia No.6 is unusually tall, and would therefore feel he could rely on his lengthy stride to get to the pitch of the ball and kick it away. However, in this case, the angle of the delivery may have got the better of him. While he was able to judge that the ball would pitch outside leg-stump, and therefore that he wouldn’t be out lbw if he did pad up, the trajectory of the ball meant it bounced passed, rather than onto his leg.

The release point of Green’s wicket ball is one of the widest Ravi Jadeja bowled to him in the 3rd innings. Probably that wider release point is the reason why Green thought he could just pad it away.#WTCFinal2023 #AUSvsIND pic.twitter.com/N3sRAvwoJa

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 10, 2023

What happened next contained an element of fortune since, after hitting his glove, the ball could have gone anywhere. But the plan in place up to that moment was a clever one.

Green was bowled for 25 to leave Australia 167-6, but India were unable to capitalise on the breakthrough, with Australia eventually declaring on 270-8.

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