‘Hard to believe’: Cricket world baffled by England batter’s lucky break

The cricket commentators were absolutely baffled when Ben Stokes was clean-bowled by a delivery, but the bails didn’t nudge.

The cricket world was in disbelief after Australian all-rounder Cameron Green clean-bowled Ben Stokes during the New Year’s Test in Sydney, but somehow the bails did not fall off the stumps.

Coming from around the wicket in the 31st over of England’s innings at the SCG, Green got the Kookaburra to nip back into the left-hander and clip the top of off stump.

The ball deviated on its way through to the wicketkeeper, yet the bails were unmoved.

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Presumably believing the ball had struck Stokes’ back pad, the Australians appealed for LBW and umpire Paul Rieffel awarded the wicket. But after Stokes called for a review, replays showed what had truly transpired.

Stokes couldn’t help but laugh while watching the footage on the SCG big screens.

Australian batter David Warner repeatedly flicked the off stump during the break in play, showing how much force was required for the bail to move.

🤯 I have no words. #[e-mail]/Kmfa9GgLqF

— Trent Copeland (@copes9) January 7, 2022

How hard did that hit the stump?? That’s wild that the bail just sat there. #ashes

— Seamus Byrne (@seamus) January 7, 2022

Should a law be introduced called ‘hitting the stumps’ after the ball has hit them but not dislodged the bails? What do you think guys? Let’s be fair to bowlers! 😜😬😋@shanewarne#AshesTestpic.twitter.com/gSH2atTGRe

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 7, 2022

“That’s one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen,” Australian great Shane Warne said on Fox Cricket.

“I’m still in shock. I don’t quite understand what we just saw. Look at how hard this hit the stumps. But the Australian team appealed too. What are they appealing for? I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Legendary commentator Jim Maxwell said on ABC Grandstand: “It‘s hard to believe that actually happened!”

Former Australian Test captain Ricky Ponting said on Channel 7: “I‘ve not seen one with a ball like that.

“It‘s actually just made the stump move sideways. So therefore the groove of the bail has actually stayed exactly in the groove of the stump.”

Former Australian batter Greg Blewett continued: “Either a little bit of super glue on top of the stumps, or they got their little chisels out and chiselled the grooves that the bails sit in a little bit deeper. No-one can believe it.”

The Aussie could hardly believe what had happened. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Ben Stokes thought it was hilarious. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Channel 7 commentator Alison Mitchell pointed out that Australian paceman Mitchell Starc had used the bail in question earlier to clean some mud out of his shoes.

“We watched Mitchell Starc using one of the bails to clean the mud from his bowling boots. It wasn‘t the bail, was it?” she asked.

“Was that the bail? Surely this is not sticky mud. It is not Starc’s fault?”

But speaking on Fox Cricket, former Australian Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe explained why fourth umpire Shawn Craig was the real culprit.

“The fourth umpire suggested the stumps were so loose yesterday so the curators then filled the holes with mud which solidified the stumps and basically made them immovable as we saw, because that was a decent knock,” O‘Keeffe said.

“I’ve heard they do that a lot. As the grooves where the stumps are are softened they do have to put mud in there to hold them upright.”

It’s not uncommon for the bails to remain unmoved when the ball strikes the stumps – a similar incident occurred in the Big Bash League last month.

But nobody anticipates something like this happening on a delivery that was 134.1km/h.

England was 4/135 at tea on day three, with Stokes unbeaten on 52 and Jonny Bairstow at the other end on 45.

Originally published as ‘Hard to believe’: Cricket world baffled by England batter’s lucky break