Watch: County batter breaks bat, fragment hits stumps, gets reprieved by no ball in freak Championship incident
Watch: During a 2023 County Championship match at Taunton, Lewis Goldsworthy survived an unusual hit-wicket dismissal.
Only 53.2 overs of cricket was possible on the first day after Kent captain Jack Leaning put Somerset in. Tom Lammonby made 101, while Lewis Goldsworthy had remained unbeaten on 70 as the hosts made 214-2 by stumps.
Goldsworthy added another nine to his tally in the second morning when Jas Singh attempted a yorker. Goldsworthy kept it out, but a chip flew off his bat and hit the stumps, dislodging a bail.
He would have been out hit wicket under Law 35.1.2, “The striker is out Hit wicket if, after the bowler has entered the delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his/her wicket is broken by either the striker’s bat or person as described in Laws 29.2.1.2 to 29.2.1.4 (Breaking the wicket fairly).”
Law 29.2.1.3 states that “the wicket is broken fairly if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground … by the striker’s bat not in hand, or by any part of the bat which has become detached.”
However, Singh had overstepped, and the umpire signalled a no ball: Goldsworthy survived. There are multiple instances of parts of a bat hitting the wicket, including twice off Australian fast bowler Ted McDonald twice in the same year in Test cricket.
At Headingley during the 1921 Ashes, a ball from McDonald hit Andy Ducat’s bat and was caught by Jack Gregory at slip and a splinter of the bat dislodged a bail. Ducat was given out caught. Four months later, McDonald had Billy Zulch out hit wicket at Johannesburg – though there was no catch this time.
Goldsworthy went on to score 122 before Jaskaran had his revenge, while Andrew Umeed made 49. At tea on the second day, Somerset were 404-4 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore (68) and James Rew (3) at the crease.
Watch Lewis Goldsworth survive getting out hit wicket:
Have you ever seen anything like this?
Lewis Goldsworthy loses a chunk of his bat which goes on to hit the stumps! Luckily for the Somerset batter it was a no ball from Jas Singh#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/NUyfsCSQbn
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 21, 2023
