Watch: Gloucestershire opener Grant Roelofsen was run out in controversial circumstances after he ran into Somerset bowler Matt Henry while attempting to reach the non-striker’s end, during their T20 Blast fixture in Taunton.
Roelofsen top scored with 52 in Gloucs’ total of 186-8, but had his innings abruptly cut short in the 15th over. He swiped a Henry delivery to cover and set off, but Tom Abell was quick to the ball, hurling it back accurately to effect a direct hit. Roelofsen was clearly out of his crease, but the bigger question was whether Henry, backing up behind the stumps, had come in the way of the batter and prevented him from entering the crease.
Umpire Ian Blackwell first checked with Abell and team whether they wanted to appeal, which they did after a long debate. He then proceeded to check upstairs whether the dismissal was legitimate, and upon confirmation, Roelofsen was deemed out.
On social media, some users questioned the “lack of sportsmanship” on Somerset’s part, but others could see why Roelofsen was rightly given out by the umpires. If the umpires felt that Henry had deliberately tried to block Roelofsen, Law 41.5 of the MCC Laws of Cricket would have come into effect, which relates to “deliberate distraction, deception or obstruction of the batter”. It is to be noted that Henry’s back was towards the batter, and it seemed to be a genuine attempt from him to back up the throw, and not deliberately block the runner.
Henry ended with figures of 4-0-28-2, with Gloucestershire managing 52 runs from the next 33 balls after Roelofsen’s dismissal. In response, Somerset, despite being reduced to 64-4, managed to chase down the total with four wickets and three balls to spare.
Watch the Roelofsen run out here:
One of the stranger run outs you’ll see
Grant Roelofsen given out after running into the bowler 😨#Blast23 pic.twitter.com/3H1Kjzq3Dh
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 23, 2023
