Our Bureau
Birmingham
Akash Deep was added to the playing 11 in the second test match as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah ahead of Arshdeep Singh and many questioned his position. He has taken the English team by storm picking up 4 wickets in the first innings and blitzing the English top order when they came to chase the target in the fourth innings.
However, Akash Deep’s outstanding dismissal of Joe Root is under serious scrutiny as certain commentators and fans have raised questions on whether the delivery was legal or not. Akash Deep bowled Root with an absolute peach of a delivery and although his front foot was well inside the popping crease, there were questions raised regarding his backfoot touching the return crease.
Former England cricketer and commentator Alison Mitchell, while doing commentary on BBC TMS, said, “The delivery from Akash Deep – which we said was wide off the crease – his foot on the back crease is out. Looks like by about two inches. Maybe a little bit more. But comfortably. So his back foot, which needs to land within the line, just taps about two inches over the line. Not picked up!”
According to the rule book for a delivery to be deemed a legal one, the back foot of the bowler must land within the return crease and should not even touch it. It is also stated that their front foot must land with some part of the foot on the same side of the imaginary line joining the two middle stumps as the return crease.
