MCC clarifies law after Henry Nicholls' bizarre dismissal leaves fans in utter disbelief during ENG vs NZ 3rd Test
Nicholls drove hard only for the ball to ricochet off non-striker Daryl Mitchell's bat and loop gently to Alex Lees at mid-off.
New Zealand's Henry Nicholls was dismissed in a bizarre manner on the opening day of the third Test against England on Thursday. Nicholls was on 19 from 98 deliveries when Jack Leach came up to bowl the final over before tea. The Kiwi batter drove hard at Leach only for the ball to ricochet off non-striker Daryl Mitchell's bat and loop gently to Alex Lees at mid-off. (Also Read | Rashid Latif's bold prediction on India vs Pakistan for Asia Cup title: 'They are a good team but we have...')
Nicholls, who scored 19 off 99 deliveries, will perhaps remember the dismissal for the rest of his life. "How has it got there?!" exclaimed a surprised Nasser Hussain on commentary. "Mitchell's at the non-striker's end, he's trying to get his bat out of the way, the umpire's trying to get out of the way and Mitchell's middled it straight to mid-off. I cannot believe that, I really can't," he added.
Nicholls' freak exit left many fans in disbelief but the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Twitter clarified what the law says. “An unfortunate dismissal? Yes. But wholly within the Laws,” tweeted the MCC from its official Twitter handle. “Law 33.2.2.3 states it will be out if a fielder catches the ball after it has touched the wicket, an umpire, another fielder, a runner or the other batter."
New Zealand were 225 for five at the close of play, with in-form Mitchell 78 not out following his hundreds at Lord's and Trent Bridge. For England, Stuart Broad struck early by removing Tom Latham in the first over of the day. He then plucked the wicket of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and eventually returned 2/45 in his 17 overs.
Leach struck with his first ball to have opener Will Young trapped for 20. Mitchell then steadied New Zealand, who were tottering at 83 for four following Williamson's decision to bat first. He got support from Tom Blundell, who scored 45 and put on an unbroken stand of 102. It was their third century partnership of this series as New Zealand ended the day on 225 for five.
New Zealand assistant coach Luke Ronchi said the team gave Nicholls a bit of time on his own in the dressing room after his weird dismissal. "It's not something you see too often," Ronchi told reporters. "Unfortunately for Henry, it was his demise, but what else can you do?
"I think most of us gave him a bit of space to start with ... it's just one of those things, you just let someone go through their own thoughts and processes and then afterwards you can chat about it and, I guess, see the lighter side of getting out that way.
"You've just got to accept it after a bit, you'll be a bit grumpy for a while but after that you've got to keep ticking along."
But Ronchi said he would not like such incidents taken out of the game by a rule change. "I like some of those sorts of things," he said. "It's just part of the game that makes it exciting as well. I think if you took those sort of factors out of the game, I think it could make it pretty boring at times."
A bemused Leach said he was unaware that a player could be dismissed that way. "I don't actually like the dismissal," he said. "You just have to take it. It's a silly game, isn't it? That's what it made me think: it's a stupid game that we play."
