8 instances in cricket where the bails and stumps showed a Jod like Fevicol
How furious would you be if you managed to beat a batsman and hit the stumps, but the bails refused to give way!? According to ICC rules, the bails need to lost all contact with the top of the stumps and permanently dislodge from the stumps, in order for a batsman to be adjudged out.
However, there have been 8 instances in cricket where it could be argued that the bails were stuck to the stumps using Fevicol. Let’s take a look:
#1 MS Dhoni – India vs Sri Lanka, 2017
After losing the first ODI, Sri Lanka looked set to level the series when India looked down and out at 131/7 chasing 231 in a rain-affected tie. It looked like Sri Lanka had put the final nail in the coffin in the 35th over when Vishwa Fernando’s ball hit MS Dhoni on the pads and trickled towards the stumps. Fortunately for the Indian, the bails didn’t fall off and he made the most of it by guiding India to a 3-wicket win by putting up a hundred-run partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Watch the video here.
#2 Mohammad Hafeez – ICC Champions Trophy, 2017
The final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy will be a nightmare memory for the Indians while the Pakistanis would recall it with a sense of pride as they beat India convincingly to lift the trophy. However, the most bizarre incident happened in the 49th over of the first innings. Mohammad Hafeez thought he was a goner when he was beaten by Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker, which went on to hit the stumps. Fortunately for him, and the team, the bails remained intact and stayed stuck to the stumps, forcing the umpire to adjudge him not out.
Watch the video here.
#3 Mark Craig – New Zealand vs Australia, 2016
New Zealand were reeling at 116/7 on Day 1, but Mark Craig and Corey Anderson had put up a mini-partnership, trying to rebuild the innings. However, that needed a huge slice of fortune when one of Mitchell Marsh’s deliveries rebounded off the elbow of Craig and hit the stumps, but failed to dislodge the bails. Marsh and the Aussies, however, managed to laugh it off and stuck to the task at hand, bundling the Kiwis off for 183 to set up an innings win.
#4 Suranga Lakmal – New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 2015
With the scoreline at 288/8 and Sri Lanka staring at an all-out against the Kiwis in Hamilton on Day 1, a miracle was needed for them to avoid the inevitable for as long as possible. And a miracle is what they got when New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner produced an excellent short ball to Lakmal, which hit the latter’s shoulder and made its way to the stumps. The ball hit the base of the stumps, but the bails continued their Majboot Jod with the stumps and failed to dislodge, much to Wagner’s frustration.
#5 Misbah-ul-Haq – World Cup 2015
Fortune decided to favour Misbah-ul-Haq during the 20105 World Cup quarter-final match while Josh Hazlewood was left scratching his head. In the 6th over of the match, Pakistan were reeling at 24/2 and Hazlewood looked to have sent Misbah home for a duck when the ball sped past Misbah’s legs and snicked the stump. The Australians went up in joy as the bail lit up for a brief second before settling back into position for Misbah’s delight.
#6 Ed Joyce – World Cup 2015
Another incident from the World Cup saw UAE’s Amjad Javed outsmart Ireland’s Ed Joyce, only for his celebrations to be cut short by a freak incident. Despite the ball hitting the off-stump at 122.4 kmph, the bails refused to go down to deny Javed his first wicket of the match in his first over.
#7 Matt Prior – New Zealand vs England, 2013
There’s unlucky, there’s very unlucky, and then there’s Neil Wagner. The Kiwi pacer has been on the wrong side of the bails refusing to move twice in his career (the only player ever). This time it was Matt Prior during the final day of the 3rd Test match between England and New Zealand in Auckland. With England at 207/6 and Prior on 28, Wagner’s ball hit the Englishman’s shoulder and hit the stumps, but once again, the bails failed to move. Prior went on to score an unbeaten 110 and helped England to an unlikely draw.
#8 Farveez Maharoof – Sri Lanka vs India, 2009
Sri Lanka were chasing 257 in Colombo against India in the second ODI with a chance to level the series. The home team had 5 wickets in hand and needed 56 runs off 39 balls when Farveez Maharoof was on strike with Zaheer Khan bowling for India. Khan’s yorker hit the base of the leg stump, but the bails stuck on to the stumps like things joined using Fevicol, to give Maharoof a new lease of life. Sri Lanka, however, couldn’t make the most of it as India ended up winning by 15 runs.
