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BRISBANE: Michael Neser’s catch in Brisbane Heat’s 15-run victory over Sydney Sixers in Big Bash League (BBL) 12 has been the topic of debate on Social Media, but the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has said the catch was legal.
The catch became controversial as Nesser first caught the ball inside the ropes before throwing it up in the air as he stepped over.
In a viral video, Neser caught Jordan Silk near the boundary rope, released the ball when jumping over the rope, threw it back into the field of play mid-air and collected the loose ball after crossing into the field.
Michael Neser's juggling act ends Silk's stay!
Cue the debate about the Laws of Cricket… #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/5Vco84erpj
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 1, 2023
The catch was during a crucial moment of the match as Sixers needed 26 off 11 balls to win. If the catch was deemed illegal, the equation would have gone down to 20 off 10 balls, giving Sixers a chance to win. But the batter was given out. Neser’s juggling act outside the boundary rope, however, is being questioned as the ball was outside the field of play. The third umpire also had to watch many replays before declaring the catch was legal.
Rule 19.4.2 under the MCC Laws of Cricket states, “The ball in play is to be regarded as being grounded beyond the boundary if a fielder, grounded beyond the boundary as in 19.5, touches the ball; a fielder, after catching the ball within the boundary, becomes grounded beyond the boundary while in contact with the ball, before completing the catch.”
But it was still a decision that had left many people questioning its legality. However, MCC further took to Social Media to approve Neser’s catch, putting the debate to rest. In a post on Twitter, the MCC directed users to its rules clarifying the laws.
“The key points are: 1) The FIRST contact must be inside the boundary, and 2) the fielder can’t be touching the ball and the ground beyond the boundary at the same time,” MCC wrote.
MCC’s clarification was of a footage from broadcaster Channel 7 in which Melbourne Stars captain and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell explained why the catch was legal. Maxwell said, “If he makes the first contact from where he jumped inside the rope, and then when the last contact is made, he back inside the rope it’s out.”
“As long as when he threw it up a second time his feet were in the air, the last point of contact has to be back in. Effectively, he could throw it up 300 times as long as his feet are in the air.”
This was not the first time this kind of dismissal has happened in the BBL as Matt Renshaw did it two years ago when playing for the Heat. Neser too recalled that catch post-match. “I knew (Matt) Renshaw did it a couple of years ago. I didn’t know if they’d changed the rules and thankfully they didn’t change the rules,” Neser said.
