WATCH: Proteas and England cool with bizarre dismissal
Both sets of captains believe English opener Jason Roy's weird wicket in the Proteas thrilling win in Tauton was (probably) justified.
England opener Jason Roy wasn’t impressed after being given out obstructing the field. Photo: Geoff Caddick/AFP.
Both AB de Villiers and Eoin Morgan, the Proteas and England captains respectively, were cool with Jason Roy’s bizarre dismissal in the second T20 in Tauton on Friday night.
The English opener was given out for obstructing the field, the first dismissal of its kind in T20 internationals and generally a rare occurrence.
More importantly, Roy’s departure gave the Proteas a window of opportunity, which they took to claim a thrilling win by three runs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5VG_6EbkYo
Despite it looking unlikely that the relevant throw would’ve actually hit the stumps, he changed his running line straight into the ball’s trajectory.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) made the rule far stricter about five years ago, stating that if a batsman changes his running line markedly, there’s trouble.
“We were in the right to ask the question of the umpires,” said De Villiers.
“It’s not an easy decision and it’s never nice to get out like that.”
Roy clearly wasn’t impressed with third umpire Tim Robinson, but his skipper was far more diplomatic.
“Everyone in the changing room thought it could go either way, so it’s not massively controversial,” said Morgan.
“You can see why the umpires gave him out.”
Also read: Calm Proteas square T20 series in a thriller
Meanwhile, Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris, whose spell of 2/18 proved vital, felt the win would go some way to restoring public confidence in the side.
“The team and the country deserved this win. We wanted to show we still care about playing for South Africa,” he said.
“There’s a lot to play for. There’s the honour to play international cricket. Not many players get that opportunity.”
But Morris also admitted the side wanted to dedicate their win to head coach Russell Domingo.
He has returned to South Africa to attend to his mother, who was injured “critically” in a car accident on Thursday.
“There was a lot for Russell. He’s going through a really tough time,” said Morris.
“It’s never nice to have to deal with something like that. So, coach, this is for you.”
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