A video posted to, and doing the rounds of social media lately, has had cricket enthusiasts and fans puzzled.
The batsman, guarding his stumps, swings the bat close to his body, but the delivery has alerady gone to the keeper, wide of leg-stump. However, almost immediately, the umpire declares the batsman out - with no contact made with either bat or stumps.
Given that the batsman walked without protest, most assumed it was a problem-free decision.
However, years after the incident, people are not sure why or how the batsman was declared out.
A background
It is not sure why the video has resurfaced one decade after it first happened, in July 2007, in the Surrey vs Bradford Leeds University Centre of Cricketing Excellence, played at the Kennington Oval.
The batsman in question was English cricketer Thomas Merilaht, the bowler Mohammed Akram, and behind Merilaht was Surrey keeper Jon Batty.
Why was he given out?
There have been a number of posited explanations for the dismissal, including by a user who claims to have been at the match in question, and alleges that the batsman was timed out.
However, an account by a journalist from then - corroborated by a number of users, alleges that the batsman had in fact hit the wicket at the end of the previous over, but the umpire, who is claimed to be ICC Elite umpire Ian Gould called the over.
Following this, it was apparently decided by mutual agreement that the bowler would bowl one delivery, with Gould declaring the batsman out immediately after.
This account seems to have been corroborated by a Pakistani journalist on Twitter.
Journalist Asif Khan tweeted that he was told that the umpire acted on an appeal from slip fielder Ian Salisbury, and it was his (the umpire's) first-ever First Class game . The journalist claims the batsman walked out of fear, having already taken two balls to the ribcage.
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