The second Ashes Test has been thrown into controversy after Australia was denied what would’ve been a crucial wicket due to a little-known rule late on day four.
Australia thought it had dismissed England’s first innings top-scorer Ben Duckett late in the day following what looked like a terrific catch on the boundary by Mitchell Starc, but they were stunned when the left hander was called back minutes later.
Third umpire Marais Erasmus ruled that Starc had not fully controlled his body while taking the catch after replays showed that he’d dragged the ball along the turf in the process.
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It was a massive reprieve for Duckett, who reached stumps unbeaten on 50 as England finished the day 4-114, needing 257 more runs to steal an unlikely win at Lord’s.
Erasmus’ decision left many watching stunned, with former Australian captain Aaron Finch labelling the umpire’s call “shocking”.
“For a guy that’s 6’5″ to make good ground like that and get your hands around it, slide on your knees and get up in one motion, I’d say you’re pretty well in control of your body,” he said on Nine’s coverage.
“There’s very few moments where you’ll see a cleaner catch than what we saw from Mitchell Starc,” Callum Ferguson added. “Look at how clean he’s caught that ball.”
“I think there’s a significant issue with our rules and perhaps the terminology of our laws if we’re coming to the conclusion that that’s not out in our game.
“That’s got to be out. Either the umpire has got it completely wrong or the laws of the game aren’t right.”
Legendary former Australian paceman Glenn McGrath was also left seething at Erasmus’ decision.
“I’m sorry, that is the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever seen,” he said on commentary for BBC.
“He has got that ball under control. That ball is under control. I’ve seen everything this game has to offer, if that is not out then every other catch that’s ever been taken should not be out.
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“That is a disgrace.”
The decision soured what was an excellent day at the office for Australia, one which put it on the brink of a 2-0 series lead.
After a steady start to the day, Australia collapsed with the bat courtesy of a controversial short-pitched barrage by England’s seamers.
England bowled an incredible 98 per cent of its deliveries in the middle session short of a good length, prompting heavy criticism from the commentary team at times, but the tactic ultimately proved fruitful.
Australia’s last eight wickets yielded just 92 runs and featured a heroic cameo from Nathan Lyon, who hobbled to the crease to add 15 runs to England’s target despite barely being able to walk.
Despite the success England enjoyed with the short pitched bowling, Australia’s seamers opted to pitch the ball up instead and received instant rewards.
Starc and skipper Pat Cummins picked up two wickets each inside the first 13 overs, leaving the home side reeling at 4-45 before the steadying partnership between Duckett and Ben Stokes (29 not out) saw England through to stumps.
While they are not completely out of the match, England will require a Lord’s record to chase down the runs required to win the second Test.
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