Instances of the cricket bails remaining unscathed despite the ball making contact with the stumps are not uncommon, yet it’s exceedingly rare for the bails to remain intact even when the ball passes through the stumps. This peculiar event recently unfolded during a tennis ball tournament in Surat, leaving the batter incredulous and the bowler perplexed, engaging in a heated dispute with the umpire.
This bizarre occurrence harked back to a similar incident during a 1997 Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in Faisalabad. In that match, Mushtaq Ahmed delivered a flipper to South Africa’s Pat Symcox during the third Test of the series. Symcox, unable to read the ball’s flight, missed it entirely, resulting in the ball narrowly passing between the off and middle stumps. Astonishingly, despite the ball’s trajectory, the bails remained firmly in place, granting Symcox an unexpected reprieve.
This has to be seen to be belived! 🤯
— Omkar Mankame (@Oam_16) February 9, 2024
This is the luckiest that a batter can get. 🙏🏻
Via Surat Tennis Cricket on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/tEwHULbP9q
The commentators said: “Well that was a quicker one and Symcox making a little bit of room for himself.”
“And I dare say he got a little edge onto his pad otherwise we would have had a very loud appeal.”
RARE CRICKET INCIDENT:
— Mainak Sinha🏏📽️ (@cric_archivist) November 12, 2020
Ball goes through the stumps. Bails remain intact. This happened during the 3rd Test of SA in Pak in 1997-98. A Mushtaq Ahmed delivery goes straight THROUGH the stumps & everyone is baffled. A tiny 22 sec clip of this is on YT but here's extended footage. pic.twitter.com/yTYc8poFgG
Initially overlooked by commentators, the incident gained widespread attention upon subsequent review through replays. Such anomalies serve to highlight the unpredictable nature of cricket and the countless peculiarities that can occur within the game. While cricket enthusiasts are accustomed to witnessing various twists and turn on the field, occurrences like the one witnessed in Surat and Faisalabad remind us that even the most seasoned observers can be left astounded by the unexpected events that unfold in the sport.
The commentators further added: “It went through the stumps! I thought he was bowled myself, and then when he didn’t go, Henry said it must have hit the bat onto the pad, but it went straight through the stumps. Can you believe it? I’ve never seen that. I have never seen that before. I’ve seen a lot of cricket around the world, but there’s always something new you can learn.”
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