'Never Seen That Happen Before': Incredible Scenes as Middle Stump Knocked Back But Batter Given Not Out

This has got to be one of the craziest incidents to have happened on a cricket field.

During an ACT Premier Cricket 3rd Grade match in Australia, a batter was declared not out despite the bowler knocking back the middle stump.

Why, you ask? Because the bails remained intact, resting pretty on the leg and off stump that was still upright.

The bowler in question was Andy Reynolds of Western Districts and the batter Matthew Bosustow of Ginninderra.

Reynolds and teammates were celebrating the wicket with Bosustow starting to walk off the field as per a report in Fox Sports but the mood quickly changed upon realising the bails were intact.

What does the Cricket Laws have to say?

Well, as per Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), “The wicket is broken when at least one bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or one or more stumps is removed from the ground.”

The Law 29.22 says, “The disturbance of a bail, whether temporary or not, shall not constitute its complete removal from the top of the stumps, but if a bail in falling lodges between two of the stumps this shall be regarded as complete removal.”

Western Districts captain Sam Wightman said they weren’t happy with the batter not being given out but later saw the lighter side of the incident.

“I’ve never seen that happen before,” Wightman said. “No one has seen it happen. We all found it pretty funny afterwards. At the time we were happy to take the wicket, then we weren’t so happy the batsman had to come back. We got him not long after, which made me happier.”

Wightman said Reynolds was bewildered.

“He (Reynolds) was just bewildered. He’d never seen it before, he didn’t know how to react. Bemused is the word he used in the change rooms,” Wightman said.