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Another instance of cricket’s most odd laws coming into play included the strange circumstances surrounding the denial of a wicket to former South African international bowler Kyle Abbott.
As Abbott clean bowled England’s Shoaib Bashir while playing for Hampshire against Somerset in the English County Championship, he felt like he had hit gold.
His joy would not last long, though, as the umpire called it a dead ball. The cause was that while Abbott raced up to the bowl, his towel, which was tucked inside his pants, fell off.
According to the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) Laws of Cricket, a striker may indicate a dead ball if they are distracted when getting ready to face a ball.
Abbott had got a wicket off the previous delivery as well, so if the wicket had stood, he would have had a hat-trick. Abbott swiftly made up for it, though, trapping Bashir leg-before-wicket (LBW) after only two balls.
The verdict of the umpire was criticized by the fans, who argued about whether or not there was a distraction.
True, that’s their right, but it seems like a strange call because it was behind him and out of his direct line of sight,” a user retorted.
One person expressed harsher criticism, saying, “The umpire ought to be fired. It was unseen and had no effect on the game.”
During his brief international career, Abbott participated in 11 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 21 T20Is for South Africa. His outstanding Test average is at 22.71, and he even made a five-wicket haul in his debut. But Abbott’s last Proteas game was in 2017.
