EXPLAINER
Follow UsAn interesting event occurred in the 36th over of Sri Lanka’s second innings in the Manchester Test on Day 3 (August 23). The left-hander Kamindu Mendis was beaten by the flight by the off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. A loud appeal followed as Mendis was hit on the pads in front of the stumps. The umpire, Paul Reiffel, adjudged in favour of the batter.
A confident England unit sent the decision upstairs. However, what followed was quite bewildering. Mendis survived the DRS call before Ultra Edge and Hawk Eye came into operation.
Instead, the third umpire, Joel Wilson, was interested in checking the position of the wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s gloves first.
Rule 27.3 in the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which pertains to the position of wicketkeeper, states, "The wicketkeeper shall remain wholly behind the wicket at the striker’s end from the moment the ball comes into play until a ball delivered by the bowler touches the bat or person of the striker or passes the wicket at the striker’s end or the striker attempts a run."
It further says that in the event of the wicketkeeper contravening this, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal a no ball as soon as applicable after the delivery of the ball.
The side-on replays showcased that Smith’s gloves were right next to the stumps as the ball was delivered. Even though the wicketkeeper gained no advantage on this occasion, the rule book states Smith is at offence, leading to a no-ball which ended England’s DRS call before the standard LBW DRS procedures could come into action.
However, a few balls later, when the broadcasters rolled in the Hawk Eye, the replays suggested the ball was only clipping the stumps, thus staying with the on-field call of not out. It was a consolation for Smith and an important lesson in his career.
Reportedly, he was also warned earlier about the position of his gloves.
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