Was Ben Stokes Catch Legal Against Steve Smith At The Oval?

England captain Ben Stokes‘ catch against Australia vice-captain Steve Smith has been added to the already long list of dramatic events to have unfolded during the ongoing Ashes 2023. With the series certainly not devoid of debatable moments, it wasn’t astonishing that another of them was registered on the final day at The Oval.

Having survived via an error on the part of England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow in the first innings, Smith continued to rode his luck in the match after surviving on the back of Stokes erring in the second innings.

Was Ben Stokes Catch Legal Against Steve Smith At The Oval?

No. For starters, it all happened on the first delivery of the 66th over when Smith gloved a Moeen Ali delivery towards Stokes at leg slip. Given not out by on-field umpire Joel Wilson, the decision eventually didn’t go down well with Stokes as he opted to challenge it.

Having said that, what Stokes didn’t realize was that he himself made a mess of what should’ve been a regulation catch. An overenthusiastic Stokes, in his attempt to celebrate a wicket as big as Smith’s, dropped the ball during the act of completing a catch.

In fact, Stokes didn’t drop the ball on the ground on purpose. It’s just that it fell down as his hand brushed his thigh. More than whether Smith had gloved the ball or not, Stokes should’ve realized how the catch was never taken.

Therefore, even after UltraEdge ruling the decision in England’s favour, third umpire Nitin Menon didn’t overturn it because Stokes didn’t complete the catch. For those who don’t know, a similar incident involving Shubman Gill and Cameron Green had happened during ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 final between Australia and India at the same venue last month.

Out or not out? 🤷‍♂️ #EnglandCricket| #Ashes pic.twitter.com/q2XCJuUpxM

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2023

Did England Lose A Review?

Yes. Since Stokes himself opted for a review regarding a catching dismissal which wasn’t overturned, England were bound to lose a review.

It is to be noted that a fielding team can retain a review in case of Umpire’s Call during LBW appeals. However, because no such call exists in a catching appeal, a review is meant to be lost if the on-field umpire’s decision is upheld.

As expected, Stokes was seen expressing disapproval of the same with both the on-field umpires in Wilson and Kumar Dharamasena. That said, it didn’t reap any fruits as on-field umpires can’t change the laws of cricket.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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