LONDON: Bails not coming off after ball hitting wicket. Close to two weeks into the World Cup and this has become a rather unexpected talking point in cricket’s showpiece event.
In 14 matches till Sunday, there were five such instances, including in the India-Australia match where Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery trickled onto the stumps off the edge of David Warner’s bat and the bails stayed in place.
This had happened in the IPL as well, but unlike in the T20 gala, captains at the World Cup have started expressing concern over it.
ALSO READ | The curious case of 'zing bails' this World Cup
However, according to sources in the International Cricket Council (ICC), nothing can be done about it because changing bails in the middle of the tournament amounts to alterations in playing conditions which is not allowed once the event has got underway.
“At this stage these can’t be changed. The playing conditions were agreed on by all teams before the start of the World Cup. Any change now would mean violation of that.
"What we can say is, there has been no change on this front in the last few years. The weight of bails and the depth of the grooves in the stumps have been exactly the same when the Zing Bails were introduced at the 2015 World Cup.
"At the 2016 World T20, 2017 Champions Trophy and in the women’s World Cup the same year, the same was used. They are no different now,” said an ICC source.
There was a change in the bails before the 2015 World Cup when the new ones with lights were introduced. There was speculation that this has resulted in heavier bails, which in turn has reduced the chance of them coming off as easily as they used to. ICC sources reckon that’s not the case.
“The weight has not changed. It appears as if this is a bit of a coincidence that it has started happening in a number of matches. Even in the IPL and Australia’s BBL the same is used.”
The teams and captains are not happy with the frequency of bails remaining where they are despite the ball hitting the stumps.
“This is not something you expect at the international level. I think with the technology is great. The lights come on and you know it's very precise. But you literally have to smash the stumps really hard (for the bails to come off). I'm sure no team would like to see that you bowl a good ball and still don't get the guy out,” said Virat Kohli.
Speaking after the Australia match, the Indian skipper added that they have checked the stumps and not found anything unusual.
“We checked the slot where the bail sits and found that it was actually quite loose. So I don't know what's wrong with the stump. I have no idea what's going on.”
His opposite number Aaron Finch expressed similar thoughts.
“It's a bit unfair at times. It does seem to be happening more and more, which is unfortunate, because you'd hate to see something like that happen in a World Cup final or a semifinal when your hard work as a bowler goes unrewarded. But I'm not sure what you can do. I don't know how much lighter they can make the bails.”