Ashes 2023: Australia denied wicket of Ben Duckett after Mitchell Starc catch disallowed

Australia was denied what would’ve been a killer blow against England after a Mitchell Starc catch was controversially disallowed. Was it the right call? Watch the video.

Glenn McGrath blasted a controversial decision to disallow a crucial catch by Australia’s Mitchell Starc in the second Test at Lord’s as a “disgrace”.

It appeared England opener Ben Duckett had fallen for 50 when he miscued Cameron Green to fine leg, where Starc held a low catch only to ground the ball while still sliding on the turf.

Under cricket’s laws, a catch is only completed when the fielder has “complete control over the ball and his/her own movement” and cannot touch the ground before then if a dismissal is to be completed.

The on-field umpires referred the decision to TV official Marais Erasmus, with the experienced South African ruling in Duckett’s favour, much to the disgust of retired Australia fast-bowling great McGrath.

“I’m sorry, that is the biggest load of rubbish I have ever seen,” McGrath said while commentating for BBC Radio’s Test Match Special on Saturday.

“He (Starc) has got that ball under control. That ball is under control.

“I’ve seen everything this game has to offer. If that is not out, then every other catch that’s ever been taken should not be out. That is a disgrace.”

Mitchell Starc wanted answers after the decision. Picture: AFP Images

The Aussies were not impressed. Picture: Getty Images

But Marylebone Cricket Club, the owners of Lord’s and cricket’s law-makers, insisted Erasmus had made the correct decision.

“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’,” the MCC said on their Twitter account.

“The ball cannot touch the ground before then. In this particular incident, Mitchell Starc was still sliding as the ball rubbed the ground, therefore he was not in control of his movement.” England ended the fourth day on 114-4, with Duckett 50 not out, and needing a further 257 runs to reach a victory target of 371 in their bid to level the five-match series at 1-1.

CATCH UP ON THE OTHER KEY DAY FOUR MOMENTS

BAZBALL BUST

Set 371 to win, England was in disarray at 4-45 after Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins cleaned up the hosts’ top order. Starc had Zak Crawley caught down the leg side before yorking Ollie Pope, while Cummins got Joe Root edging to first slip and bowled a stunner to take the top of Harry Brook’s off-stump. Duckett survived an overturned lbw call from Starc to reach 50, with he and Ben Stokes holding the fort to keep alive a faint chance of a series-squaring win for England.

LYONHEARTED

Barely able to walk, Nathan Lyon hobbled down the stairs in the Lord’s pavilion, through the Long Room, and out to bat. Australia was already more than 350 runs ahead, but Lyon did not want to risk the possibility that his decision not to bat would come back to bite. In what was almost certainly his last involvement in the series, Lyon down the steps, limped to the pitch, and then had to turn down any non-boundaries. It reached its most remarkable extreme when Mitchell Starc pulled Stuart Broad to the deep midwicket boundary where Rehan Ahmed, tumbling backward, kept the ball in play, forcing Lyon to hop down the wicket for one.

Nathan Lyon bravely went to the crease. Picture: Getty Images

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Cummins looked to have joined the list of Australians to fall to short-pitched bowling on Saturday when he looped a top-edge to point where it was caught by Brook. But Stokes had overstepped, giving Cummins a reprieve. The Australian captain wasted a run though by stopping mid-pitch to watch Brook take the ball. In any case Cummins fell soon enough to the tactic from Stuart Broad.

BOUNCE DOWN

With little on offer from the Lord’s pitch, England followed Australia’s lead by unleashing a short-ball barrage. It ended up proving reasonably successful, with Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Head all falling to the tactic before lunch. Cameron Green and Alex Carey joined the club after the break.

JONNY COME LATELY

It was another untidy performance behind the stumps from England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, whose subpar glove work has become the elephant in the room for the home side. Bairstow conceded five byes in the same Josh Tongue over on Saturday morning before dropping an admittedly tough overhead catch which would have removed Usman Khawaja. But he was generally sloppy, with the decision to pick Bairstow at the expense of Ben Foakes coming more sharply into question.

Ollie Robinson reacts after Jonny Bairstow dropped Usman Khawaja. Picture: Getty Images

JIMMY BATTLING

The famous Father Time weather is an omnipresent at Lord’s, and on Saturday it was metaphorically shouting in England’s face. Specifically it was the soon-to-be 41-year-old Jimmy Anderson who may finally be nearing the end. Anderson spilled his second catch of the match, dropping Travis Head on nought in the gully, and was generally unthreatening with the ball.

OVER AND OUT

Both sides already copped over rate penalties in the World Test Championship standings after the Edgbaston Test, and in England’s case the punishments appear unlikely to end there. Without a frontline spinner, the hosts were well behind their over rate. Australia knows all too well how costly such sanctions can be, having missed the WTC final two years ago on the back of an over rate points deduction.

OLD IS GOOD

Wimbledon was just a couple of days away but England was in no rush for a new ball, please. The hosts turned down the second new ball when it was available after lunch on day four, preferring to maintain the tempo of the match with their short-balls as Stokes bowled 12 overs straight to defy his flagging body.

Originally published as Ashes 2023: Australia denied wicket of Ben Duckett after Mitchell Starc catch disallowed