Watch: Simon Harmer was run out in controversial circumstances in Essex Eagles’ T20 Blast quarter-final against Birmingham Bears, left short of his ground after colliding with bowler Dominic Drakes.
The incident came in the 19th over of a tense clash, with Essex eventually prevailing by two wickets on the penultimate ball of the game.
The game had already been packed with drama. There was a controversial review early in the game, with a ‘not out’ caught behind decision against Alex Davies overturned despite UltraEdge showing no spike, and Birmingham Bears recovered from 89-5 to 167-7, with Sam Hain making a half-century and Chris Benjamin and Drakes each contributing 20-plus scores.
Essex looked to be running away with it in reply, making their way to 77-2 at the end of the seventh over. But they were pegged back by regular wickets, and though Dan Lawrence held the innings together with a 49-ball 62, when he fell in the 19th over, Essex still needed seven runs and had just three wickets in hand.
Needing six off the last seven, Harmer played into the ground and was called through as the ball ballooned up. He looked confused about where the ball had gone, but set off. However, he found Drakes in his path, with several Essex players sprinting in to try and collect the ball close in on the off-side.
He and Drakes collided, and Davies gathered the ball and threw to the non-striker’s end, where Rob Yates collected the ball and removed the bails with Harmer left stranded. “Now we have a Spirit of Cricket issue,” said Simon Doull on commentary.
Harmer could be seen speaking to the on-field umpire and Davies, Birmingham Bears captain, but the review went through, and Harmer was ruled out.
Law 41.5 of the Laws of Cricket only bars “wilful” obstruction of a batter, and with Drakes running in the direction of the ball, there is no suggestion the action was deliberate.
However, fielding sides have chosen not to take advantage in similar situations before, to great applause. Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh was given the 2022 CMJ Spirit of Cricket Award by the MCC after opting not to remove the bails, with Ireland’s Andrew McBrine out of his ground following a collision.
Drakes’ 19th over contained two wickets and conceded just one run, taking the equation to six needed off the last. That became three needed off two balls, before Shane Snater hit down the ground for six to seal Essex’s place at Finals Day.
