Ben Stokes's (L) left-hand stops the ball as he falls down. PHOTO COURTESY: DECCAN CHRONICLE
Over the years, cricket has provided us with a range of memorable moments with the highs and lows of the game both exhilarating us and breaking our hearts.
However, there are some instances which remain memorable because of their comical nature, including the bizarre manner in which some batsmen have been forced to exit the field.
England’s Ben Stokes, the latest victim of an unusual dismissal, was given out by the television umpire for ‘obstructing the field.’ He was dismissed in this fashion when in the ODI match against Australia he struck a straight-drive which was stopped by bowler Mitchell Starc. Starc then hurled the ball back towards Stokes who, while leaning back and turning his head away, stopped the throw at the stumps with his left glove.
His exit was the cause of much controversy as some cricketing members were of the view that Stokes, rather than deliberately blocking the wicket, was only acting in self-defence.
Stokes himself also spoke up later and while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo said, "A guy was standing there five feet away from me and it was just a complete reaction," said Stokes.
"I didn't put my hand there wilfully, it was purely out of human reaction to protect myself. But the decision was made, there's nothing I can do but it wasn't wilful whatsoever."
Read: Australia win overshadowed by Stokes controversial dismissal
As debate over Stokes' exit rages, we recount some other instances in which batsman were sent off the field in an unorthodox manner:
1) Inzamamul Haq
On the third day of the Headingley Test during Pakistan’s 2006 tour to England, Inzamamul Haq attempted to sweep a rather full delivery from Monty Panesar and was hit on the stomach. Though not injured, the Pakistan captain lost his lost balance while attempting the shot and rolled onto the stumps.
This will remain one of the funniest dismissals in cricket.
2) Andrew Symond
Although fortune is allegedly supposed to favour the brave, such was not the case for Andrew Symonds in the match against Sri Lanka in 2005. Symond, who was unleashing shots left and right as he batted for 66 off 61 balls, hit a straight drive off Jehan Mubarak with such force that Michael Clarke at non-striker’s end did not have time to react. The ball ricocheted off Clarke’s boot and landed safely in the hands of Tilekratne Dilshan at mid-on.
3) Chris Read
This was a case of poor judgement as Read misjudged the line and length of a Chris Cairns slow-ball Yorker at Lord’s in 1999 and tried to duck, only for the ball to go beyond his legs and rattle the stumps.
Read later said that he had lost sight of the ball due to movement behind the side-screen.
4) Muhmmad Ashraful
Ashraful's performance against England at Trent Bridge in 2005 started off on a bizarre note. After losing two wickets in two balls to Chris Tremlett, Bangladesh’s Ashraful came on to the field and timidly pushed the bowler’s next delivery forward to avoid becoming his third victim. The ball flew backwards and landed on the top of the middle stump, but somehow neither bail was dislodged. Making complete use of this opportunity, Ashraful went on to make a 52-ball 94.
This article originally appeared in Hindustan Times.
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