Cricket legend Ricky Ponting teed off on umpire Rod Tucker after the extent of Ben Stokes’ no-ball infringements was revealed.
Stokes looked to have bowled Australian opener David Warner during Day 2 of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.
Stokes had troubled the left-hander with the first three balls of his spell, and then his fourth delivery snuck through the gap between Warner’s bat and pad and rocked into the stumps.
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As England celebrated and Warner began to walk back to the pavilion, the third umpire intervened to point out Stokes’ front foot had landed well over the popping crease, making it an illegal delivery.
Warner returned to his position and the England all-rounder returned to the top of his mark, adjusting his run-up to ensure the mistake wouldn’t be made again.
But it was after that kerfuffle that viewers learned the extent of the problem.
Replays showed Stokes had actually overstepped the popping crease with each of his opening four deliveries, not just the one that rattled Warner’s stumps, yet not one of those deliveries had been called a no-ball, either by the standing umpire or the third umpire.
While it was once the job of the bowling-end umpire to monitor the bowler’s front foot and call no-balls, the responsibility now almost entirely lands on the third umpire, who is supposed to review each delivery for front-foot infringements.
Third umpire Paul Wilson clearly didn’t monitor it properly, or opted not to inform the on-field umpires that Stokes was overstepping the crease.
In commentary for Channel 7, Ponting called it “pathetic officiating”.
“If it’s someone upstairs who’s supposed to be checking these and they haven’t decided that any of those are a no-ball, it’s pathetic officiating as far as I’m concerned,” Ponting said.
“If (Stokes) had been called for a no ball the first one he bowled, then of course he’s going to drag his foot back.”
Former Test umpire Simon Taufel was at a loss to explain why the no-balls were not picked up.
“I really can’t explain as to why they weren’t,” Taufel said.
“(The third umpires) do have the support of an ICC technician in that third umpire’s box. Together with that technician they’re supposed to be looking at every ball and if it’s close, they’ll examine and call it.”
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