Five times now this year, and four in this Ashes series, England have lost a wicket because replays have shown a bowler overstepping the crease. Twice, at Trent Bridge and the Oval, Steven Finn thought he had his hundredth Test wicket. Twice he cursed his folly.
Only hours before Steve Smith was reprieved on 93 by what replays showed to be a big no-ball from Finn, Stuart Binny suffered the same fate in Colombo for India against Sri Lanka. In that case, Kaushal Silva survived. Binny is still awaiting his first Test wicket.
Back in London in the early evening, Mark Wood, twice a culprit himself this summer, enjoyed a second life when Mitchell Marsh overstepped, the ball having been edged to slip. At 97 for eight it barely matters in the context of the game. It just looked silly, and the crowd duly laughed.
Finn is refusing to support a fashionable view that umpires are complicit through their present reluctance to call no-balls. When bowlers were penalised in the past it obviously let them know when they were overstepping. Some officials at least give a friendly word of warning these days without making a formal call.
“There are no excuses for bowlers,” Finn said. “You can see your spike marks when you walk back so you can see where you are landing. It is something for me to sort out, and I have to do so.”
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Umpires feel able to focus purely on what is happening at the other end. They see that as being more important, and technology means that tight margins are checked if a wicket happens to fall. In the past they did not have that safety net.
Consequently they are happy to accede to requests from bowlers to stand well back, even though it can leave them blind to the landing. Sky Sports showed that Kumar Dharmasena was unable to see that Mitchell Johnson overstepped as many as eight times in his initial five overs yesterday.
The same holds true of Finn, hence the difficulties faced by Aleem Dar yesterday. “I know that the umpire cannot see my front foot when I land because of the way my hip and back knee rotate through,” Finn said. Technology, though, means that the third umpire can, and it may be that the off-field official needs to be more proactive.
Down but not out
Batsmen recalled after being dismissed by a no-ball this summer
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Lord’s first Test v New Zealand, first innings: Martin Guptill c Cook b Wood 20 (went on to make 70)
Trent Bridge fourth Test v Australia, second innings: Chris Rogers c Root b Wood 47 (went on to make 52)
Trent Bridge fourth Test v Australia, second innings: Peter Nevill c Cook b Finn 2 (went on to make 17)
The Oval fifth Test v Australia, second innings: Steve Smith c Buttler b Finn 92 (went on to make 143)
The Oval fifth Test v England, second innings: Mark Wood c Voges b Mitchell Marsh 4 (innings ongoing)