England all-rounder Ben Stokes was at the receiving end of some good fortune as his half-century on the opening day of the St Lucia Test continued despite leaving the field of play after being considered out.
Batting on 52, Stokes was caught and bowled trying to play a pull short in the 70th by Joseph, who did well to adjust in his followthrough to pouch the sharp chance.
But there was an instant reaction from the umpires and the crowd as replays on the big screen of the dismissal showed that the pacer had overstepped.
However, Stokes was already back in the dressing room when the replays was shown, with Jonny Bairstow already on the field. Umpire Rod Tucker signaled a no-ball, following confirmation from third umpire Chris Gaffaney.
MCC’s decision in April 2017, to define Law 31.7, which governs the status of batsmen “leaving the wicket under a misapprehension”. The new code took effect from October 2017.
The law now reads:
“A batsman may be recalled at any time up to the instant when the ball comes into play for the next delivery unless it is the final wicket of the innings, in which case it should be up to the instant when the umpires leave the field.”
“Thank God for technology,” said Stokes at the close of play.
“I’ve never been in the changing room and called out to bat again, that is a first for me and it’s probably something that they need to get control of,” he said. “I don’t think in international cricket you should be walking off and being in the changing rooms and then being back out there two minutes later.
