Middlesex captain Toby Roland-Jones must have thought that he’d played a good shot for a six when he smoked Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard for a big slog down the ground over wide long-on. Little did Roland-Jones know that with the nonchalance movement of the follow-through of his bat after connecting his hit sweetly, he would get hit-wicket out!!
Roland-Jones got out in a really bizarre fashion where he went from ecstasy to agony in a space of a second or so.
In the ongoing County Championship Division One match between Middlesex and Warwickshire at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Middlesex skipper Toby Roland-Jones got out in such a rare and unexpected manner that his dismissal video went viral on social media.
In Middlesex’s first innings, skipper Toby Roland-Jones, who played 4 Tests and 1 ODI for England in 2017, was batting aggressively, having clattered 21 runs off 14 balls with the help of 2 fours and 2 sixes already.
He continued batting in the same fashion as on the 15th ball he faced, Toby Roland-Jones whacked medium pacer Ed Barnard for a big slog toward wide-long which went over the boundary. No sooner had the on-field umpire signaled the sixer than the Warwickshire wicket-keeper Michael Burgess pointed to the square leg-umpire that Jones had knocked over a bail with his bat in his follow-through.
Comically, Toby Roland-Jones had also noticed that his bat had knocked over a bail, yet he stood there as if nothing had happened. Toby Roland-Jones was then given out by the third umpire as, the third umpire believed, his bat and body were still in motion of action of completing the shot when his bat hit the bail.
Watch: Toby Roland-Jones gets out hit-wicket in a bizarre manner
Out hit wicket?!
Toby Roland-Jones thinks he has planted the ball for six but knocks the bails off in his follow-through #LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/c0tJoutjr3
— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) July 25, 2023
However, some fans pointed out that Toby should have been not out according to the laws as, they felt, he’d completed the shot and the umpire had also signaled for a six.
I'm not sure this is out. The ball has cleared the ropes before he hits his wicket, so isn't it dead once it has.
— Andy Thurogood 💙 (@AndyThurogood) July 25, 2023
Probably should’ve been given not out under law 35.2 as the shot had been completed
— CricketUmpire86 (@CricketUmpire86) July 25, 2023
Seems like he had completed “any action in receiving the delivery” 35.1.1* bits are about setting off for a run so don’t apply. pic.twitter.com/AZAT23qdTK
— Dr Chris Cottis (@ChrisCottis) July 25, 2023
Not out if it ( hit wicket) occurs after the striker has completed any action in receiving the delivery.
— Sam Gascoyne 🇺🇦 (@SamGascoyne2) July 25, 2023
Not out.
The shot is done, similar thing happened in the 2019 World Cup to a West Indies player and he was given not out due to higher level umpires knowing the rules
— Harry 🇯🇵🇯🇲🇳🇱🇺🇸 (@Harrysuhiro) July 25, 2023
