England were kept on the field for an extra 27 minutes on the second morning after TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena ruled that Chris Woakes had overstepped after he thought he had dismissed Josh Hazlewood with his fourth ball of the day.
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England started day two perfectly, with James Anderson dismissing Pat Cummins with the first ball of the day. Eight minutes later, England looked like they’d wrapped up the Australia first innings after Hazlewood edged Woakes to the slip cordon. Just as Woakes was celebrating his first Ashes five-for, Dharmasena deemed that Woakes had overstepped.
But it was a far from clear call, with several pundits, including former England bowler Isa Guha, criticising the decision.
Law 21.5.2 states: The bowler’s front foot must land with some part of the foot, whether grounded or raised on the same side of the imaginary line joining the two middle stumps as the return crease described and behind the popping crease.
Guha took to Twitter to say: “That’s not a no ball. Bad umpiring.”
It was the first no ball that Woakes bowled all series. It is now common practice for television umpires to retrospectively check the position of the front foot every delivery, not just when a wicket falls. England have generally been the sloppier side when it’s come to extras over the course of the series. In their 43-run defeat at Lord’s, England conceded 74 extras across the Test – a tally that included 18 no balls.
Australia went on to add a further 17 runs after the no ball and were out in the middle for an extra 27 minutes, which could be crucial come the end of the Test given the amount of rain forecasted for days four and five. A draw would be enough for Australia to retain the Ashes.
That’s not a no-ball. Bad umpiring #ashes
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) July 20, 2023
Thankfully for Woakes, it was he who claimed the final wicket, completing a proud milestone.
