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Australia appealed but umpires signalled ball was dead after it briefly became lodged behind pad flap

Andrew Miller12-Jun-20251:26

Bedingham: ‘Way I picked up the ball came across dodgy’

South Africa’s David Bedingham admitted he had “panicked big time” during a handled-the-ball incident on the second afternoon of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, one that briefly threatened to thrust Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey into another spirit of cricket rumpus.Two years on from his contentious stumping of Jonny Bairstow during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, Carey was once again at the centre of an unusual Australian appeal, as Bedingham – on 31 at the time, and in the final over before the lunch break – played off the back foot to Beau Webster, and inside-edged the ball into his pad-flap.Although the on-field umpires, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney, subsequently called the ball dead, Bedingham’s continued movements had briefly threatened to dislodge it from his pad-flap. With Carey swooping round from behind the stumps in a bid to gather it before it hit the turf, Bedingham responded by reaching down to his knee, and throwing the ball to the ground.Related

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“Yeah, I think I panicked big time,” Bedingham said at the close. “Because Carey was standing up, he was quite close. The umpires said, regardless, it was dead ball. But I think the way I picked up the ball and dropped it came across a bit dodgy.”Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, played down the moment in his post-match press conference, but acknowledged that he would likely have withdrawn the appeal had the umpires not signalled dead ball. Notably, he chose not to do this two years ago against England, when Carey capitalised on Bairstow’s habit of walking out of his crease after each delivery to throw down his stumps with an opportunistic under-arm shy.”I’m just glad they withdrew the appeal, because there [would be] more controversy and that type of stuff,” Bedingham said. “I’m glad nothing happened out of it, really. The slip cordon just told me, ‘don’t panic, just leave it…’ but in the moment, I think I panicked big-time.”The Bairstow dismissal caused a huge row, with Australia’s fielders coming in for abuse from MCC members within the Long Room as they left the field at the end of the session, and England’s captain Ben Stokes subsequently stating that he wouldn’t want to win a game in such a manner after Australia sealed a 43-run win later that afternoon.David Bedingham drops the ball from his pad just as Alex Carey comes forward to catch it•Getty Images

However, that moment, as with this latest incident, clearly fell within the remit of the laws of the game.According to Fraser Stewart, MCC’s head of cricket and the former laws manager, the eventual decision was “right for the game”, even if a strict interpretation of the Law 20.1.1 – which pertains to dead balls – might argue that the ball hadn’t been completely stationary at the moment of Bedingham’s intervention.According to the relevant laws, a ball becomes dead when: In a 2001 Test in Ahmedabad, England’s Michael Vaughan was given out handling the ball after placing his hand on the ball after it had already hit the turf, seemingly to prevent it from rolling back onto his stumps.Vaughan is the last of seven batters to be given out handled the ball in a Test match, because since 2017, that mode of dismissal has been subsumed into obstructing the field. In 2023-24, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim fell in that manner after handling the ball against New Zealand in Mirpur.

Allrounder’s century lifted Derbyshire from ruin after the Indian leg spinner took 3 in 11 balls

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-Jul-2025Derbyshire 348 for 8 (Andersson 105, Chahal 4-116) vs Northamptonshire Martin Andersson led a Derbyshire fightback with a spirited 105, his third century of the summer, as his side rallied to 348 for 8 on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.It came after Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal struck three times in 11 balls to tip the morning session firmly in Northamptonshire’s favour; the visitors ruing their decision to bat as they slipped to 98 for 5 at lunch, despite 39 from Luis Reece.But Andersson (148 balls, 14 fours) then dominated a 102 run-partnership with Aneurin Donald (37) during the afternoon, before sharing a further stand worth 61 with all-rounder Zak Chappell (32).Chahal, who found turn and bounce on a pitch previously used for the Vitality Blast Women Tier Two Finals Day on Saturday, later removed Chappell to finish with figures of four for 116.Earlier Derbyshire had a tough opening hour against some tight Northamptonshire bowling, the bulk of early runs coming through fine leg, their first wicket falling when Caleb Jewell (16) was undone by a George Scrimshaw delivery that jagged back and kept low, trapping him lbw.It brought Reece together with Harry Came (17) who combined in a confident 48-run stand off 69 deliveries, Reece unfurling a handsome cover drive against Scrimshaw to bring up Derbyshire’s 50 in the fifteenth over, before using his feet against Chahal to collect three boundaries over the infield.With Came taking on the seamers, momentum was running in Derbyshire’s direction, before Chahal intervened. First, he turned one across Came to trap him lbw and then picked up Reece who flicked straight to short leg. Brooke Guest’s stay was short, Chahal getting one to grip and turn to take the edge through to the keeper.Justin Broad capped the perfect morning for Northamptonshire, putting a dampener on Wayne Madsen’s 250th first-class game, when he was caught behind playing a lazy shot down the legside.After lunch Andersson and Donald came out fighting, bringing their 50 partnership up off 60 balls, Andersson sweeping and cutting Chahal and pulling seamer Liam Guthrie to the ropes.With 40 runs coming in the first 20 minutes of the session, Chahal then applied the brakes. Racing through his overs, he pushed the ball through quicker too, keeping both batters in check, despite bowling occasional short balls and legside deliveries. And, with fellow spinner Rob Keogh finding some drift at the other end, the scoring rate slowed markedly for a time.Finally though, Andersson got one away, sweeping Chahal for four before playing the same shot against Keogh to reach his 50 from 66 deliveries. Donald meanwhile, managed just two boundaries in his 37 but deployed the reverse sweep to keep the scoreboard ticking over against Chahal as the pair’s stand reached three figures.Keogh made the breakthrough, flighting the ball up and turning it back in sharply to bowl Donald between bat and pad. It brought Chappell to the crease, who began in typically positive fashion. He had advanced to 22 when Scrimshaw put down a straightforward chance at backward point and Derbyshire went into tea on 237 for 6, having added 139 for the loss of just one wicket in the afternoon.Chappell’s reprieve was short lived. After tea he clubbed Chahal down the ground to bring up Derbyshire’s 250 but then edged an attempted reverse sweep straight to slip.Andersson took two boundaries off Chahal through extra cover to reach his century, but the new ball brought immediate rewards when he came down the track to Procter and edged behind.New batter, teenage debutant Joe Wilkins showed no nerves though, looking highly impressive as he drove confidently. With Ben Aitchison also playing some stylish shots the pair put on an excellent unbeaten 48 for the ninth wicket.

Sam Curran fights for Surrey with unbeaten 69 but Scrimshaw three-for seals win for visitors

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay03-Sep-2025Northamptonshire 154 for 4 (Bopara 105*, Clark 3-13) beat Surrey 147 for 6 (S Curran 69*, Scrimshaw 3-34) by 7 runs Former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara produced an explosive knock of 105 not out from 46 balls to stun Surrey and propel Northamptonshire Steelbacks to their first Vitality Blast Finals Day since 2016.The 40-year-old, a former Blast winner with Essex, turned back the clock with a magnificent display – posting his first Northamptonshire hundred as they fought back after losing two early wickets to post 154 for four in a rain-reduced contest at the Kia Oval.Surrey captain Sam Curran made a valiant attempt to rescue his side with a first half-century of the tournament, an undefeated 69 from 38 – but they came up short on 147 for six.Experienced seam pair Ben Sanderson (two for 24) and David Willey (one for 28) kept their cool in the death overs to clinch the Steelbacks’ success.An early evening downpour trimmed the contest to 14 overs per side and, having won a crucial toss, the Surrey skipper had no hesitation in opting to bowl when play finally began at 7.50pm.That choice was quickly vindicated by Jordan Clark (three for 13), who made the ball swing and removed both Steelbacks openers for ducks in a devastating first over before a flurry of boundaries by Tim Robinson got the scoreboard moving.The New Zealander clubbed 20 from 12, mostly from Tom Curran’s opening over, but tried to pull Chris Jordan’s first ball and perished to a top edge – passing the baton on to Bopara, who seized it eagerly.Runs flowed through the veteran’s combination of power, timing and precision, with Gus Atkinson’s single over disappearing for 18 before Bopara clipped Clark to the fence to post his half-century.Supported by Saif Zaib (17 not out from 12), Bopara hit the accelerator and dominated their unbroken partnership of 74 from 35, hooking Tom Lawes for four from the penultimate ball of the innings to bring up a remarkable 45-ball ton.Like the visitors, Surrey were two down early on as Ryan Patel swung his first ball into the hands of deep square leg and Lewis McManus, standing up to Sanderson, took a thin edge to dismiss Jason Roy.Ollie Pope (41 from 23) went on the offensive, cutting Willey for two fours and driving his namesake, leg-spinner Lloyd, for a straight maximum as he and Sam Curran accumulated steadily and kept the required rate within range.The pair added 74 from 38 before Pope top-edged a short delivery from George Scrimshaw (three for 34) to long leg and, when Dan Lawrence holed out two balls later, the home side still needed another 70 from 32.Curran kept them in contention, slamming Justin Broad over the cover fence and Laurie Evans banged successive fours off Scrimshaw before miscuing the next one to point.Sanderson returned to send down an over that cost him just five before Willey’s spate of yorkers left Surrey needing 19 – and, although Curran smote a Sanderson full toss for six – it was not enough.

Chasing 152, the openers gave Bangladesh a start of 109 in 11.4 overs, and it turned out to be decisive

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2025Bangladesh prevailed by four wickets in the first T20I despite Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan’s mid-innings burst of four wickets. Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain took Bangladesh home with eight balls remaining. Bangladesh had lost six wickets for nine runs in the space of 25 balls, that too after their openers got them 109 runs in 11.3 overs.Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan both struck fifties, dominating the Afghanistan bowling as they chased 152. Rashid, though, struck four times in two overs, while Fareed Ahmad and Noor Ahmad took a wicket each, as Bangladesh looked down and out at one stage.

Rashid rips through Bangladesh

Fareed had dropped Emon on 27 but he made amends by removing him for 54 off 37 balls in the 12th over. However, Afghanistan barely celebrated the wicket, given the start the Bangladesh openers had provided.Rashid then got the googly zipping through Saif Hassan, whose front-foot prod was not enough to save him. Rashid ended the over with Tanzid’s wicket as the left-hand batter edged the legspinner for 51.Rashid removed both Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain in his next over, both falling lbw. Jaker missed a sweep, while Shamim went back into the crease to turn the ball around the corner. When Noor also had Tanzim Hasan lbw in the next over, Bangladesh looked out of the contest.

Nurul saves Bangladesh’s blushes

Nurul and Rishad were Bangladesh’s last recognised batters. Rishad, though, had not been in good form while Nurul was reeling from his strange knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. But they bounced back with the match-winning stand. Nurul struck two sixes in his unbeaten 23, while Rishad struck the winning runs with his third boundary, as Bangladesh won with eight balls remaining.Rashid Khan picked up four wickets•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Bangladesh strike early with the ball

Bangladesh didn’t lose shape when they bowled during the powerplay, despite Taskin Ahmed going for three fours in the first over. Nasum Ahmed bowled Ibrahim Zadran as the batter went for a slog. Tanzim Hasan got on to rear towards Sediqullah Atal’s chest, for the batter to give a tame catch to Emon at slip.Darwish Rasooli was a victim of a huge mix-up with Rahmanullah Gurbaz when Mustafizur Rahman stopped the ball off his own bowling, with both batters next to each other at the non-striker’s end. Rasooli sacrificed his wicket, as Afghanistan lost three wickets in the powerplay. There was no respite after the powerplay either, as Mohammad Ishaq holed out to deep square leg in Rishad’s first over.

Emon, Tanzid make merry

Bangladesh’s innings kicked off when Emon struck Mohammad Nabi for 16 runs in the fifth over. Rubbing salt into the wounds were two dropped catches in the over. Emon slammed a six off the first ball, before being dropped by Gurbaz on the fourth ball. The batter launched the next ball over midwicket for another six, before Fareed dropped a straightforward catch off the last ball.Tanzid, who returned after being dropped for the last two games, got into the act soon afterwards. He hammered a huge six off Nabi in the seventh over, followed by a second one off Noor in the following over. Both openers hit a six each off Sharafuddin Ashraf in the tenth over before bringing up Bangladesh’s first century stand for any wicket against Afghanistan. Afghanistan did make a comeback from there but could not convert it into a win.

Giants will also want to turn their poor record against MI around as the WPL moves to Mumbai

Shashank Kishore09-Mar-20255:45

How can Mumbai stop the Deandra Dottin threat?

Who’s playing

Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Gujarat Giants (GG)
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, 7.30pm IST

What to expect: Top spot up for grabs

RCB’s loss to UP Warriorz on Saturday night may have smoothened the passage into the playoffs for both MI and GG, but there’s still an extra edge to this contest as the top spot is still not booked.Giants have to win to entertain thoughts of finishing at No. 1. Mumbai have a game in hand and can get there even if they lose on Monday, but it would then mean a three-way tie should they beat RCB. They would want to avoid this logjam, having been in a similar position last year and then going down to RCB in the Eliminator.Related

• The rise and roar of Kashvee Gautam

• Mooney confident Gujarat Giants can challenge for WPL playoffs

GG are on a bull run, having won more games (three) over the past week than they did all of last season. But there’s one thing they haven’t done yet: beat MI, who have a 5-0 record against them in the tournament’s short history. If that wasn’t pressure enough, they now face the challenge of playing Harmanpreet Kaur’s MI in Mumbai, at the Brabourne Stadium, where they are yet to lose a single game.They have been the most explosive side in the middle-overs, courtesy Ash Gardner and new (old) signing Deandra Dottin. But MI have the best economy (6.6 runs an over) and average (17.9) in this phase. This battle will form the crux of the contest.The return to form of Harleen Deol, instrumental in GG’s stunning chase of 178 the other night against Delhi Capitals, bodes well. Kashvee Gautam’s all-round prowess and Beth Mooney’s unshackling at the top make them look more dangerous.MI look equally strong but have changed their batting combinations because of Yastika Bhatia’s prolonged lean run. In their previous game, Amelia Kerr was promoted to open with Hayley Mathews. It remains to be seen if this will be their plan at the back end too. If it is, it could mean a bigger batting responsibility for S Sajana and Amanjot Kaur in the middle order.Yastika Bhatia has been in poor batting form•WPL

Form guide

Mumbai Indians WLWWW
Gujarat Giants WWWLL

Team News

D Hemalatha’s poor run at the top of the order may force a change for GG. Simran Shaikh, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, could get a look-in to inject some lower-order firepower.Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Phoebe Lichfield, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner (capt), 5 Deandra Dottin, 6 Simran Shaikh, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fulmali, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh, 11 Priya MishraMumbai have no reason to tinker with their XI.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Amelia Kerr, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amanjot Kaur, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 G Kamalini, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 9 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Parunika SisodiaKashvee Gautam has been a revelation this season•BCCI

Players to watch: Hayley Matthews and Kashvee Gautam

Hayley Matthews started poorly – not having crossed 20 in her first three games – but is slowly beginning to show the sparks of positivity she brings to her batting, especially up front in the powerplay, where she has made two half-centuries in her last three innings. Matthews’ return to form prevents more headaches at the top of the order for the Mumbai team management, especially with Bhatia struggling.Seam-bowling allrounders offer the kind of balance Harmanpreet Kaur has been yearning for as India captain. With Pooja Vastrakar suffering from a stress fracture, Kashvee Gautam’s performances with bat and ball for GG might have put her in national contention in a World Cup year. She’s easily one of the breakout stars of WPL 2025, and is leading the wickets’ chart for GG at this stage. Can she help them make their maiden final?

Stats that matter

• Nat Sciver-Brunt, the season’s second-highest run-getter, loves playing at Brabourne Stadium, having scored 196 runs and got out only once in four outings at this venue in the WPL.
• GG have the most wickets (13) among all teams in the powerplay this season.
• Gardner’s 17 sixes are the most by a batter this season. There is no MI batter in the top five.
• MI’s economy of 8.6 is the highest in the powerplay this season. They have also picked up the joint-highest wickets (9) in this phase.

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after Miguel Almiron took part in his first training session with his new teammates, following a £20m move from MLS Cup winners Atlanta in the January transfer window.

The Paraguay international’s arrival on Tyneside has been met with huge excitement from the Magpies’ fanbase, who have been starved of marquee signings for years – Almiron’s arrival finally broke the previous club-record fee set in 2005 when Michael Owen arrived in a £17m deal.

At 24 years of age, Almiron attracted Newcastle’s interest after a stunning season in which he helped Atlanta win the MLS Cup, scoring 12 goals and recording 14 assists in 32 starts from an attacking midfield role.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Almiron has only just started training as he needed to travel to Paris to collect his visa in order to play in England, and Newcastle fans on Twitter have expressed their excitement at seeing the mercurial No.10 strut his stuff in his new colours…

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Declan Rice has emerged as West Ham United’s most important player in recent weeks.

The midfielder turned in another superb performance against Liverpool on Monday night as the Hammers held the Reds to a creditable 1-1 draw.

On the chalkboard

Rice truly enjoys big games.

The midfielder scored a brilliant goal the last time the Irons played at the London Stadium, the winner in the 1-0 victory over Arsenal.

And he was again covering every blade of grass against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He won one aerial battle, made eight successful tackles from 11 attempted and also made two interceptions.

His pass success rate of 73% leaves something to be desired and he could have scored the winning goal before half-time, heading just narrowly over the bar.

But this was a complete defensive midfield performance and the 20-year-old put his midfield opponents, Fabinho and Naby Keita, to shame with his superlative discipline and hard-running.

Trust the academy

West Ham were right to trust in their academy when it comes to Rice.

There are often first-team players simply waiting to be discovered in the youth ranks and he is one such example.

He has never given anything less than 100% and is a warrior of a midfielder, as evidenced by his displays against the Gunners and the Reds.

There are few players with his skill set in the Premier League and it would be no surprise to see him eventually end up at Manchester City or Manchester United, such is his talent.

For now though he is West Ham’s key player, even more so than £36million record signing Felipe Anderson and captain Mark Noble.

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According to the printed version of The Mirror (February 12, page 56), per HITC, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it is looking likely that the 29-year-old will leave Anfield at the end of the campaign considering there have been no developments in him extending his deal with the Merseyside outfit, and The Mirror, via HITC, reports that he is interesting clubs both from the Premier League and abroad.

The Mirror report that the England international may well choose to remain in the English top flight however, and Spurs are keen on him to provide back-up to Harry Kane next term with Fernando Llorente likely to leave the north London club this summer.

The report adds that the centre-forward, who earns £120,000-a-week, would help to boost Tottenham’s number of home-grown players.

Would he be a good addition?

He certainly would be.

While Sturridge turns 30 years of age this year and has suffered from his fair share of injury issues over the years, he has still scored 77 goals in 213 Premier League appearances and the chance to sign him for nothing would be an opportunity that is too good to turn down.

Of course, Tottenham have found themselves without the injured Kane in recent weeks and while their form hasn’t really suffered, they would be much better off if they had an out-and-out striker who is proven over many years at this level – something that Llorente isn’t – and would allow Son Heung-Min to play out wide instead as well as through the middle.

Harry Kane gets his hands on the Super Bowl and Dele Alli gets his hands on a superb owl in the latest episode After 90 below…

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Rangers fans have taken to Twitter to react after Andy Halliday found the back of the net in a 5-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup.

Steven Gerrard’s men now find themselves in the quarter-finals of the competition, with Colombian international Alfredo Morelos bagging four goals on the night.

In Halliday’s case, however, his goal after coming on as a substitute for Borna Barisic represents a phenomenal turnaround in his career at Ibrox.

It was only in 2017 that the 27-year-old was told he can leave the club on loan, and was expected to be ordered to train with the Under-20 side.

The natural midfielder is now a fans’ favourite with the Gers supporters, and has scored three goals in 24 appearances across all competitions this season to emerge as a key man under Gerrard.

Halliday has unquestionably been through a lot during his time with Rangers, and fans of the Scottish giants on Twitter didn’t hold back in their praise of him after his latest strike…

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According to the Scottish Sun, Rangers and Celtic are both monitoring Motherwell winger Jake Hastie. Apparently, the 19-year-old is also attracting interest from Championship clubs Middlesbrough and Hull City.

What’s the story?

Motherwell are said to be desperate to hang on to their academy product though, and have offered him a three-year contract to stay at Fir Park. 

Before he pens a new deal though, the Gers would be wise to do all they can to lure Hastie to Ibrox Stadium.

Steven Gerrard’s side could certainly do with a boost in the final third, and that is exactly what Hastie would provide. The youngster has already demonstrated his capacity for delivering end product at Premiership level this season, having racked up four goals and one assist in just six top flight outings, as per Transfermarkt’s stats.

Even though Motherwell are desperate to hang onto their man, given his current contract is set to expire at the end of this season, and he only has a Transfermarkt valuation of £180k, Gerrard could likely land his target at a bargain price.

A helping hand for Morelos

There’s a need for the goals to be spread more evenly across the Rangers squad. In terms of both personnel and positions. Currently, far too much of the goalscoring burden is being placed on striker Alfredo Morelos. Gerrard’s midfielders and wide players need to start finding the back of the net with greater regularity.

Bringing in Hastie would likely be a positive step in that direction. However, the Glasgow club will have to be prepared to beat off bitter local rivals Celtic, as well as Championship competition, in order to land their man.