As the match hung in the balance, R Ashwin of Kings XI Punjab strode in to bowl at Sanju Samson of Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur. Ashwin seemed to roll his arm over and wait for a split second, during which non-striker Jos Buttler left the crease. Ashwin Mankaded Buttler, and the on-field umpires referred to television umpires Bruce Oxenford, who ruled Buttler out.Ā As a furious Buttler left the crease, the cricket fraternity erupted, with the usual cries over ā€˜spirit of cricketā€™. MCC stepped in, acknowledging that Law 41.16, which dealt with such dismissals, was ambiguous in their clause.Ā IPL Controversies- Part 27: Chennai Super Kings Shift Base to Pune in 2018.

But they also backed Oxenfordā€™s decision: ā€˜Yesterdayā€™s incident could have been ruled out or not out, depending on how ā€œthe instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ballā€ is interpreted.ā€™

Even Buttler, initially livid, admitted to ESPNCricinfo: ā€˜There is a bit of a grey area in that saying ā€œwhen a bowler is expected to release the ballā€. That is a bit of a wishy-washy statement.ā€™Ā IPL Controversies- Part 26: Franchises Ban Steven Smith, David Warner After Sandpapergate Scandal.

Curiously, a day after their statement, MCC went ahead and called Ashwinā€™s pause had been ā€˜too longā€™ and not ā€˜within the spirit of cricketā€™.

Ashwin himself, on the other hand, called his act ā€˜instinctiveā€™, and that he had no idea where ā€˜understanding of spiritā€™ came from under the circumstances.Ā Of the many responses, the harshest came from Buttlerā€™s England teammate James Anderson, who shredded a photograph of Ashwin.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2021 02:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).