News Analysis
Rawalpindi, day three – The last ball drifted to cover, the crowd exhaled and, in an instant, everyone seemed ready for stumps. Mohammad Rizwan, though, added a flourish: he turned, tapped the base of the non-striker’s stump with his bat and clipped off the bails. South Africa appealed for hit-wicket, the umpires smiled it away, and players from both sides walked off scratching their heads.
Key facts first
• Ball still live when bails dislodged
• Kyle Verreynne appealed immediately
• Umpires Sharfuddoula (bowling end) and Chris Brown (square-leg) ruled “not out” without a formal explanation on the field
• Law 35.1 offers four specific windows in which a batter can be given out hit-wicket – none applied here
What actually happened?
Rizwan had driven Keshav Maharaj’s final delivery of the day straight to a fielder. There was no run on. Believing the day done, he knocked off the bails himself, something umpires normally do. Because stumps had not yet been called, Verreynne raised both arms in appeal. Sharfuddoula instantly waved it away, Brown backed him up, and the sides walked off with Pakistan 112 for 4, leading by 23.
Why was the decision correct?
Law 35.1 says a batter is out hit-wicket if he breaks his wicket:
• after the bowler enters the delivery stride, in preparing to receive the ball
• while receiving the ball
• or in setting off for the first run (or subsequent defensive stroke).
Rizwan’s contact with the stump happened well after he had played the stroke and decided against a run. In short, it fell outside the law’s narrow timing window.
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), guardian of the Laws, confirmed later in a brief statement: “Because the striker was not preparing to receive the next ball, nor starting a run, the criteria for hit-wicket were not met.”
South Africa’s response
There was no obvious rancour. Verreynne’s appeal had been instinctive, and captain Dean Elgar exchanged a word with the umpires before leaving the field. In the press area, all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy admitted he had been “too far away to figure out what had gone on”, adding that the dressing-room chat was more about tomorrow’s plans than any perceived injustice.
Context of the match
South Africa dominated most of the day, sharing six wickets for 68 earlier to set Pakistan nerves jangling. Maharaj’s control, complemented by Kagiso Rabada’s hostile bursts, kept the hosts in check. Yet Pakistan still hold a slender lead, thanks largely to Babar Azam’s compact 45 and Rizwan’s unbeaten 28.
Expert view
Former umpire Simon Taufel, speaking on local television, noted: “It looks odd, but the Law is very clear. Once the striker has finished the act of playing the ball and is not starting a run, hit-wicket is off the table. It’s that simple.”
Former South Africa quick Fanie de Villiers was less forgiving: “I get the Law, but it makes for poor optics. Maybe players should leave the bails alone until the umpire calls time.”
Why do batters usually avoid this?
Convention has umpires removing the bails at stumps, normally at the bowler’s end first because that umpire is closer. On the rare occasion a batter does it, they tend to wait until “time” is called, then lift the bail gently with a hand. Rizwan’s bat-tap, while harmless under the Laws, looked perilously close to trouble in real time.
Could the ball be considered dead?
Law 20.1.2 lists situations when a ball is automatically dead, for example when it “finally settles in the bowler’s or wicket-keeper’s hands” or “boundary is scored”. None had occurred: the fielder was still in the act of returning the ball. Hence Verreynne’s appeal had a surface logic, even if it never stood a chance under Law 35.1.
Where does that leave the game?
Pakistan, 1–0 up in the two-Test series, will resume hoping their lower order can push the lead north of 150. South Africa believe one early wicket could open the door. Either way, the bizarre ending has added a talking point that may resurface if the match, or the series, turns on fine margins.
Imperfect endings, human error, the fine print of the Laws – Test cricket has a habit of serving them up just when fatigue sets in. Rizwan survives, the umpires look correct, and day four suddenly feels a shade more intriguing than the scorecard suggests.
