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Ravindra Jadeja case resurfaces as England star requires umpire clearance to bowl vs Sri Lanka in Super 8 clash

But it's unlikely to happen since the cut is deep on Jacob Bethell's finger, and he has to wear the protective dressing.

Updated on: Feb 21, 2026, 20:34:17 IST
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England allrounder Jacob Bethell may not get to bowl against Sri Lanka in their Super 8s encounter of the T20 World Cup at Pallekele on Sunday. At the same venue earlier this month, Bethell, who bowls slow left-arm orthodox, had taken four wickets against the same opposition in a 3-0 whitewash.

Jacob Bethell had a great time with the ball the last time England played Sri Lanka in Pallekele. (AP)
Jacob Bethell had a great time with the ball the last time England played Sri Lanka in Pallekele. (AP)

Now let's find out what is stopping Bethell from bowling. Actually Bethell is carrying an injury on the left ring finger and is wearing a protective dressing. He injured his finger while fielding against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.

As per the tournament rules and guidelines, players can wear protective dressing only if the umpires provide their consent. But to be allowed to bowl is a totally different prospect, it has been seen in international cricket. Fielders are allowed to wear protective dressings but the bowlers are not, for their tape can help them with the gripping of the ball as well as it can cause visibility issues for batters.

ALSO READ: What happens to Pakistan's semifinal chances if rain washes out New Zealand Super 8 tie? Does ICC have reserve day?

It's nothing new! Last year at the Champions Trophy, Ravindra Jadeja was asked to take his tape off before he could bowl, during India's semis against Australia. In England's previous matches against Italy and Scotland, they had asked for the umpires' permission for Bethell to bowl but it didn't go their way.

"The rule with the strapping on your finger isn't quite helping because he's got a decent cut on his finger so he'd have to have strapping.

"If there's some way we can get around that then we'd like to bowl him. But at the minute, I don't think it's possible," Daily Mail quoted England captain Harry Brook as saying.

There is a strong rain forecast ahead of the match, which means the teams might go into the contest with different strategies. Brook, however, is not looking too far ahead because it can cause problems.

“You just have to prepare as if it is a T20. You can sometimes go down a bit of a rabbit hole thinking you're going to play a five-over game and it ends up being a T20 and you play it slightly differently,” he said.

“We've just got to prepare as if it is a T20 game and hope the rain stays away. If it doesn't, we've got to adapt and realise you've got to play the game slightly differently,” he added.

England are unbeaten against Sri Lanka in their last 11 T20I matches, meaning they should fancy another win against the co-hosts of the tournament.

  • Prateek Srivastava
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Prateek Srivastava

    Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age.   In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there.   After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month.   Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their ""Short News"" content team at UC Browser.   While cricket is Prateek’s expertise, he has also done a lot of golf. In fact, he has covered India’s first two European Tour events back in the late noughties. He has also done extensive writing on football having been associated with the Indian Super League for three seasons. Finally, Prateek is a literature aficionado and swears by Philip Roth and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and when he doesn’t joke, he is usually quiet and at work.Read More

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