Ashes, 2nd Test: MCC clarifies why Mitchell Starc's catch of Ben Duckett was ruled not out
Jul 02, 2023
London [UK], July 2 : The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has responded to Mitchell Starc's disputed catch, a close call on Lord's turf near the conclusion of day four of the second Ashes Test.
In the waning moments of the day, Australia believed they had secured the crucial wicket of Ben Duckett after the left-handed England batter top-edged a Cameron Green's delivery to deep fine-leg.
Australia fielder Mitchell Starc grabbed the ball as he ran and dropped to his left, but replays showed the Australian fielder scraped the ball across the ground shortly after.
Law 33.3 of the MCC's Laws of Cricket states that "the act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder's person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement."
In this situation, third umpire Marais Erasmus determined after reviewing the catch that Starc was not in control of his own movement when the ball brushed against the turf.
The MCC re-affirmed this interpretation on Twitter.
"Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has 'complete control over the ball and his/her movement'," MCC posted on Twitter.
"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," it further read.
The law in question has been used multiple times in recent Test matches, including the first two Ashes matches and the ICC World Test Championship final between Australia and India last month.
Lethal opening spells by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins destroyed England's top order but Ben Stokes-Ben Duckett formed a resilient half-century stand to give the hosts some hope to chase a stiff target of 371 runs set by Australia in the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Saturday.
