The first known printed code of the laws of cricket was made available in 1775. Since then, there have been countless revisions as the game has evolved and met fresh challenges. But even with the current 42 laws in place, there are so many loopholes and gaps that are exploited by the cheeky and
downright cynical that there's been the need for a separate spirit of cricket.
In this Champions Trophy, there have been three examples, each one showing there's life left in this game yet. In England's first game against Sri Lanka, Angelo Mathews was recalled after a collision with Graham Onions contributed to the all-rounder being run out. A couple of days later, Andrew Strauss denied Graeme Smith the use of a runner as he was cramping, on the grounds that cramps were a matter of conditioning and not injury. The on-field umpires and the ICC backed up this decision.
In a must-win game, New Zealand recalled Paul Collingwood after having run him out when he wandered out of his crease. Sure, Collingwood was not attempting a run, but going by the law, New Zealand were well within their rights to claim the dismissal. That Vettori took the right path, in a crunch game, especially with Collingwood having failed to do so against New Zealand at the Oval last year, was admirable.