Back Foot No Ball Cricket: Was Joe Root dismissed on a back foot no-ball in Old Trafford Test?

Joe Root dismissed: The English captain’s dismissal hasn’t gone down well with his fans who have expressing displeasure across social media platforms.

During the first day of the second Test of the ongoing West Indies’ tour of England in Manchester, England captain Joe Root (23) became the third English batsman to get dismissed.

Coming in to bat at No. 4 in the first over after the lunch break, Root stitched a 52-run partnership for the third wicket alongside opening batsman Dom Sibley.

It was on the second delivery of the 32nd over that Root’s attempt of playing a cover drive off West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph saw him edging the ball to West Indies captain Jason Holder at second slip.

Was Joe Root dismissed on a back foot no-ball in Old Trafford Test?

Root, who got out to Joseph for the fourth time in six Test innings, is said to have departed on a no-ball. Right after Root’s dismissal, there were comments across social media platforms which claimed Joseph’s back foot to have touched the return crease.

According to law 25.5.1 of MCC’s Laws of Cricket, the bowler’s back foot must land within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery.

Considering the same in Root’s case, it is easy to observe that Joseph’s back foot had crossed the return crease and that the delivery should have been called as a no-ball.

The umpire failing to notice the same once again throws light on an umpire making an error in this series. Given what a set Root is capable of doing, calling it a no-ball could have aided the tourists in a significant manner.

How Twitterati reacted:

For more cricket-related news, click here.