The second innings of the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy semi-final between Gujarat and Kerala came to a nail-biting finish.
Kerala had batted for over two days in the first innings, eventually scoring 457. In the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy, the team with the first-innings lead advances in the case of a draw, making Gujarat's task an uphill one.
They fought hard though, and at the end of day four were 429-7, just 28 runs behind Kerala. But on the fifth morning, Aditya Sarwate struck twice to leave Gujarat 446-9, still 11 runs behind.
1st Semi-Final, Gujarat vs Kerala
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- Ball by ball Over
With the deficit at just two runs, No.10 Arzan Nagwaswalla attempted to hoick Sarwate over the leg side, only to smash the ball onto the helmet of the short leg fielder Salman Nizar. The ball ricocheted off the helmet, high in the air before landing in the hands of Kerala skipper Sachin Baby at first slip – helping them secure the lead.
There appeared to be some confusion around the dismissal from television commentators and fans alike, with a few wondering whether a dead ball should have been called, or a five-run penalty awarded to the batting side.
Read more: Ranji Trophy side sparks ire of opposition by substituting concussed tail-ender for all-rounder
What do the Laws say about the dismissal?
Under old laws, the ball striking a fielder's helmet would result in a dead ball. However, this was modified in 2017. Law 28.3 of the MCC's Laws of the Game, pertaining to the use of helmets by the fielding side, now says the following.
28.3.1: "Protective helmets, when not in use by fielders, may not be placed on the ground, above the surface except behind the wicket-keeper and in line with both sets of stumps.
28.3.2: "If the ball while in play strikes the protective helmet, placed as described in 28.3.1 [emphasis added], the ball shall immediately become dead and:
- the umpire shall signal No ball or Wide to the scorers, if applicable
- the umpire shall award 5 Penalty runs to the batting side
- any runs completed by the batters before the ball strikes the protective helmet shall be scored, together with the run in progress if the batters had already crossed at the instant of the ball striking the protective helmet."
Reading these two laws in conjunction makes it clear that the awarding of five penalty runs to the batting team applies only when a fielder's protective helmet is not in use. In this case, since Nizar was wearing the helmet while fielding close-in, it was in use – and therefore the ball striking it could not be penalised by the umpires.
Further, Law 33, pertaining to the method of caught out, puts no restrictions on the legality of a catch after the ball strikes a fielder or any protective equipment or other item of clothing worn by them.
Image credit: JioHotstar
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