India suffered defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the WTC Final on the sixth and final day at Southampton. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed on the ultimate day of the summit clash with fans claiming New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner's delivery was illegal as his back foot crossed the return crease.
Wagner reaped rewards of his short-ball barrage against Jadeja when the southpaw nicked through to the keeper to expose India’s lower order. The incident drew bemusing reactions from fans after several of them wondered if Wagner’s had bowled a no-ball owing to the placement of his back-foot.
Replays showed Wagner had indeed trespassed the return crease before delivering the ball, but the decision stood even after an umpire referral. The dismissal wasn’t overturned as his foot had landed fine before it crossed over the line, which meant the delivery was hundred per cent legitimate.
What Does The MCC Rulebook Say?
According to the MCC no-ball law, the landing position of the foot is the decider in arriving at the no-ball call.
For a delivery to be fair in respect of the feet, in the delivery stride:
21.5.1 the bowler’s back foot must land within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery. [empahsis added]
The indefatigable Wagner often flirts with the return crease in his bowling stride. Notably, India were at the receiving end of a dubious decision in 2014 in New Zealand during a hard-fought Test match when MS Dhoni was castled by Wagner, but replays showed Wagner’s foot had possibly landed on the return crease.
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