MCC's Verdict on Joe Root's Controversial Wicket Is a Slap on Crying English Fans' Faces
ENG vs IND: Displaying thorough dominance, Team India annihilated England by 336 runs in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
India won the match fair and square, outclassing the hosts in all three departments of the game. However, some English supporters and commentators, in their desperate attempt to take away the shine from India’s clinical performance, created an unnecessary controversy during the match.
The controversy erupted when England stalwart Joe Root got clean bowled by a searing inswinging delivery from Akash Deep in the second innings, jolting a heavy blow to their run chase.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the body that governs the laws of the game, has finally broken its silence on the controversy surrounding Root's dismissal, and its decision has left English supporters red-faced.
While a section of English supporters and experts claimed foul, alleging that Akash Deep’s back leg had crossed the return crease, the MCC has now closed the case, and it serves as a tight slap on the face of those who tried to malign India’s momentous victory.
Root was bowled by a peach of a delivery from Akash Deep, but soon there was a flood of allegations on social media that the ball should have been declared a no-ball.
This claim was further fuelled when English commentator, Alison Mitchell, claimed on BBC, “The delivery from Akash Deep – which we said was wide off the crease – his foot on the back crease is out. Looks like by about two inches. Maybe a little bit more. But comfortably. So his back foot, which needs to land within the line, just taps about two inches over the line. Not picked up!”
It’s true that in the visuals which went viral online, Akash Deep’s trailing foot indeed seemed to have crossed the side crease, thus causing the controversy, but the MCC has made it clear that the third umpire had made a correct decision.
“On Day four of India's Test against England last week, there were questions raised about the delivery from Akash Deep which bowled Joe Root, with some fans and commentators believing it to be a no ball,” the MCC said in a statement.
“While Deep landed unusually wide on the crease, and some of his back foot appeared to touch the ground outside the return crease, the third umpire did not call a no ball. MCC is happy to clarify that this was a correct decision in Law.
No Ball or Legal delivery?
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“For a delivery to be fair in respect of the feet, in the delivery stride the bowler's back foot must land within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery.
“MCC has always defined the moment that the back foot lands as the first point of contact with the ground. As soon as there is any part of the foot touching the ground, that foot has landed, and it is the foot's position at that time which is to be considered for a back foot no ball,” the statement added.
The MCC has laid the so-called controversy to rest, thus exposing the outrage by English fans and experts, and proving that it was all noise without substance.