Ashes 2023: Stuart Broad Reveals Chat With Umpire Kumar Dharmasena As Steve Smith Survives Close Call

The Australians have so far stood tall to England's aggression and flamboyance in the ongoing Ashes series and it was there to see during the fifth and final Test at The Oval. (More Cricket News)

While England's innings on Day 1 featured a number of partnerships that saw their batters adapt the 'Bazball' approach, the Australians were the exact opposite. They seemed to be wearing the host bowlers out and thwarting the attack rather than scoring runs at a blistering rate.

One such moment came during the second day of the 5th Test when Australia's Steve Smith survived a run-out moment despite the English team and the crowd celebrating. 

Indian umpire Nitin Menon adjudged it not-out to the surprise of the English fans and cricketers alike. Later, English bowler Stuart Broad revealed what on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena said to him about the dismissal.

Umpire Dharmasena told Broad that Smith would have been given out if zing bails had been in use. But in this case Smith was saved from a run out on the "benefit of the doubt" to batter custom. 

At first, it seemed that Smith was short of his ground. But, after seeing replays, umpire Menon ruled that the bail was not completely dislodged from both grooves.

"I honestly don't know the rules, I think there was enough grey area to give that not out. It looked like benefit of the doubt sort of stuff, first angle I saw I thought out, and then the side angle it looked like the bails probably dislodged," Broad said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"Kumar said to me if it was zing bails it would been given out, I don't really understand the reasoning why," he added.

According to the Laws, the bail has to be completely dislodged. Law 29.1 states: "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."

Tom Smith's Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, MCC's Official Interpretation of the Laws of Cricket, adds: "For the purposes of dismissal - a bail has been removed at the moment that both ends of it leave their grooves."

After seeing the visual on-screen, Smith had also started walking back to the pavillion as he had also thought that he was outside the crease.

"I saw the initial replay and saw the bail come up, and when I looked at it the second time looked like Jonny might have knocked the bail before the ball had come," Smith said.

"Looked pretty close at that stage, if the ball had hit at the initial stage when the bail came then think I was well out of my ground."

"I know now that he's very quick, the next one we hit out there when it was a similar push for two, I was like, gee, this guy's tearing around the boundary, he's coming at pace. Had I known that previously I might have just stayed there for the single," he added.
(With Agency input)