[Watch] Joe Root led Yorkshire's unbelievable act of sportsmanship, refuses to run batsman out after he goes down with an injury mid-run
Joe Root-led Yorkshire recently took on Lancashire in a T20 Blast game, with the latter emerging victorious by four wickets. However, what caught everyone's attention was Yorkshire's act of sportsmanship.
With 15 needed off 18 deliveries, Lancashire were already in the driver's seat to earn a victory, but Yorkshire could have made things tough by running out Steven Croft, who collapsed midway on the pitch while completing a run.
The Joe Root-led team decided not to run the batsman out with players rushing in to check on Croft. You can watch the clip here:
While Yorkshire's act of sportsmanship impressed most, there were some differing views as well. As it turned out, Croft carried on batting after the incident and it was only a cramp and not a hamstring injury or muscle tear, which many initially thought.
Moreover, the batsman had already hesitated before setting off for a run, and that is why some feel that Yorkshire's sportsmanship was uncalled for. To rub more salt into Yorkshire's wounds, the ball was declared a dead ball, and they couldn't even get a dot ball out of it.
Lancashire at the end cruised to victory with six balls to spare, while Steven Croft remained unbeaten on 26.
"As a side, we made a very difficult decision under pressure"- Joe Root reacts to the incident after the game
It was a high stakes game for Lancashire as they needed a win from their final North Group tie to book their place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Yorkshire were already through to the last 8 with not much riding on the game for them.
After the game, Joe Root reacted to the incident and said it looked serious at first glance, and that is why they took the difficult decision.
"As a side we made a very difficult decision under pressure. It looked very serious at first glance. In many ways it was a relief it was nothing serious. I am sure there will be many different opinions. Many people would have handled it differently." said Joe Root as quoted by ESPNCricinfo
With opinions divided on what was the right thing to do in such a situation, what's your take on it? Shoot it off in the comments section.