Fawad Alam's dismissal under controversy after it appeared to be a no-ball

Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Fawad Alam might be blaming his luck as the ball that made him leave the field during the 1st innings of the third Test was potentially a no-ball. Alam’s return to the Test cricket during the 2nd Test against England, after almost 11 years, was already bagging too much criticism as he got out for a 4-ball duck to Chris Woakes. Now, his unsure dismissal is again creating trouble in the cricket world.

The left-handed batsman was on 21 runs of 74 balls when he was caught by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off the bowling of Dom Bess during 37th over of the innings. Later, it was revealed in one of the replays that Buttler’s gloves sort of passed the stumps during the course of this action, which is regarded as no-ball as per the laws of cricket.

It must be noted that law 27.3 states that: “The wicket-keeper shall remain wholly behind the wicket at the striker’s end from the moment the ball comes into play until a ball delivered by the bowler touches the bat or person of the striker or passes the wicket at the striker’s end. In the event of the wicketkeeper contravening this Law, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal no-ball as soon as applicable after the delivery of the ball.”

England vs Pakistan so far

Controversies have been surrounding the decision right after Fawad Alam was dismissed, and Pakistan are also struggling to make their mark in the Test at The Rose Bowl. Earlier, the hosts declared on 583 on the loss of 8 wickets. The masterclass from Zak Crawley (267) and Jos Buttler (152) was thunderous enough to break Pakistan’s back. Their combined 359 runs now stand to be 4th highest 5th wicket partnership in Test history.

The host nation has already outshined Azhar Ali and Co in the 1st Test, where they registered victory by 3-wickets at the Old Trafford in Manchester. The second Test ended in a draw with the majority of the match being washed off. The visitors are struggling to draw the series somehow and with two days remaining, it’s not going to get any easier for them.