‘Apas me lado fingers cross karke’ – Fans react as Mitchell Starc’s catch controversially given not out by third umpire on Day 4 of 2nd Ashes 2023 Test

A diving catch effort from great Australian pacer Mitchell Starc created controversy as it was adjudged not out by third umpire Marais Erasmus during the final few minutes of Day 4 of the second Ashes Test on Saturday. The stylish left-handed batter, Ben Duckett, who was batting at position 50, attempted to hit a ball, but it came into contact with a thick top edge, enabling the ball to bounce to the left of the fine leg.

When left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc caught Ben Duckett’s catch at the fine-leg boundary, Australia assumed it had secured a much-needed fifth wicket. Although still on his knees, Starc catches the ball using both hands while employing one of them to control his fall. The third umpire judged that the grab wasn’t fair because the ball in hand touched the ground. Considering that the 33-year-old cricketer had completed the catch when the ball was barely a few inches from the ground’s surface, the choice inevitably provoked an extensive row between cricket fans and former players.

Starc “was not in control of his own movement,” says a tweet issued by the MCC

In response to the controversy that arose during the most recent Lord’s Test of the Ashes 2023, cricket’s governing body, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), produced a statement. Duckett was not given out, which left Starc and his Australian teammates not overly satisfied. Starc “was not in control of his own movement,” says a tweet issued by the MCC, and as a consequence, his catch wasn’t evaluated as legal.

The tweet statement read this: “In relation to the below incident, Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has “complete control over the ball and his/her own movement. “The ball cannot touch the ground before then. In this particular incident, Mitchell Starc was still sliding as the ball rubbed the ground, therefore he was not in control of his movement.”

Here’s how Twitter reacted: 

It's totally unfair

— abdul (@abdul0223) July 1, 2023

If India was the batting team, then definitely it's out.

— Pavan Kumar Ponugoti 🇮🇳 (@pavankumarppkn) July 2, 2023

No as he did not have complete control of his body on completing the catch, that was the reason for the not out.

— Akshay Shah – Founder CEO, iWebTechno (@AkshayiWeb) July 1, 2023

This was a shocking decision.. He was in complete control of the ball..

— mudassir jabbar (@crick_frik) July 1, 2023

England are collective cheaters 🙄

— Ahmad Khan (@Khan_obsd) July 1, 2023

Absolute joke. How can they say that’s not a catch

— Zack (@zack_z321) July 1, 2023

Not out given by the 3rd umpire as Mitchell Starc's hands were touching the grass. pic.twitter.com/1VYLEhUOHe

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 1, 2023

Apas me lado fingers cross karke !

— Raj (@bigbullmarkets) July 1, 2023