The penultimate day of the second Test between Australia and England in Ashes 2023 saw some amazing cricket all round. However, there was a also a controversial moment, which could have a bearing on the final result of the match.
During the 29th over of England's second innings, Australia's Mitchell Starc had seemingly caught out England's Ben Duckett off Cameron Green's delivery.
Duckett who was the home side's best batsman on Day 4 of the Test had nearly reached the pavilion when the third umpire Marais Erasmus overturned the decision and declared the batsman not out.
Well then...
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 1, 2023
What do we think of this one? 👀
Cleary grounded 😉 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/bPHQbw81dl
As per Erasmus, Starc had not caught the ball cleanly. The decision did not go down too well with Australian players and supporters, with there much confusion as to why was the Aussie bowler's catch was deemed not out.
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Why was Mitchell Starc's catch disallowed?
The International Cricket Council released a statement after the game which cited Law 33.3 which mentions that the fielder needs to be in complete control of their body for the catch to be deemed valid, which wasn't the case with Starc who was sliding on the ground when the ball touched the grass despite him holding onto it.
"Law 33.3 of the MCC's Laws of Cricket states that ‘the act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement’. In this case, it was deemed by third umpire Marais Erasmus upon review of the catch that Starc was not in control of his own movement when the ball was brushed against the turf," read the statement.
The Marylebone Cricket Club also released a statement on it's Twitter handle clarifying why the catch was deemed not out by the third umpire.
In relation to the below incident, Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has "complete control over the ball and his/her own movement."
— Marylebone Cricket Club (@MCCOfficial) July 1, 2023
See here for full clarification: https://t.co/cCBoJd6xOS#MCCLaws pic.twitter.com/TEOE1WKJvu