Contrasting dead balls called by the umpires in the third ODI

The contrasting dead balls during the third ODI between India and Australia are dominating the headlines more than the Indian victory. The home side defeated the team from down under by 5 wickets chasing 294 on a batting track and took an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the series. Hardik Pandya played a match-winning knock of 78 from just 72 balls and kept the Aussie bowlers at bay throughout the innings.

The series has already been filled with so many dead balls especially during the Men in Blue’s batting innings. There were a couple of contrasting instances of the umpires calling the dead ball which put everyone in the flux including the umpires themselves and the commentators as well.

Coming on to bowl the penultimate over of the Australian innings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar tried to bowl the slower ball but the ball slipped from his hand and landed on the adjacent pitch. Leg umpire Marais Erasmus called it a no-ball for height while C Shamshuddin the umpire at the bowler’s end called it dead. Both the umpires met and expressed their viewpoints and Shamshuddin’s call stayed.

According to the laws, the ball is deemed dead if the ball delivered by the bowler is accidental. Hence it was called dead and the batsmen were not offered with a free-hit though Bhuvi had to bowl it again.

However, the contrasting situation arrived during the third over of the Indian innings which was bowled by Pat Cummins. Ajinkya Rahane punched the ball to the off-side and set off for an easy single. Steve Smith fielded the ball and threw it at the bowler’s end which went a bit wayward and beat the fielder at mid-off and went to the boundary. However, the on-field umpire didn’t award India the overthrow runs and deemed the ball as dead but the action before was counted. The ball was counted as a legal one and India had taken a run which was considered as well.

What the law states:

Law 23 (Dead ball) 4. Umpire calling and signalling Dead ball

(viii) the bowler drops the ball accidentally before delivery.

In this case, it was pretty obvious that the ball accidentally slipped out of the bowler’s hands and this is the law regarding the ball not counting as one for the over. In this case, since the ball was way out of reach of the batsman who had no way of playing the delivery, the ball was called dead and he had to bowl it again

6. Dead ball; ball counting as one of over

(a) When a ball which has been delivered is called dead or is to be considered dead then, other than as in (b) below,

(i) it will not count in the over if the striker has not had an opportunity to play it.

(ii) it will be a valid ball if the striker has had an opportunity to play it, unless No ball or Wide has been called, except in the circumstances of 4(b)(vi) above and Laws 2.6 (Fielder returning without permission), 41.2 (Fielding the ball), 42.4 (Deliberate attempt to distract striker) and 42.5 (Deliberate distraction or obstruction of batsman).

(b) In 4(b)(v) above, the ball will not count in the over only if both conditions of not attempting to play the ball and having an adequate reason for not being ready are met. Otherwise the delivery will be a valid ball.