Zak Crawley dismissal: Ben Stokes reacts to controversy, says technology got it wrong

England captain Ben Stokes reckons technology made a mistake in the Zak Crawley dismissal in the second innings of the second Test against India in Visakhapatnam. The batter was then playing on 73 runs with the visitors needing more than 200 to win the Test match in the second innings on Monday. But his dismissal led to England losing a couple of batters quickly and they eventually got bowled out within the next 100 runs to lose the game.

Zak Crawley dismissal
Photo by Icon Sport

The incident happened in the 42nd over of the innings when England were 194/4 and Crawley looked set for a big knock. The batter went on the backfoot to a back of a length ball delivered by Kuldeep Yadav only for the red-cherry to be struck on the pad. A vociferous appeal followed and the bowler insisted captain Rohit Sharma repeatedly to go for the review as the on-field umpire gave it not out.

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What is the Zak Crawley dismissal controversy?

Half of the leg stump in the replays was visible when the ball hit Crawley’s front leg, which was on the move. Hence, it felt as if the impact of ball tracking wouldn’t be in line with the stumps and more so, with the ball straightening after pitching, it seemed that the trajectory would take it past the leg stump without hitting.

But much to everyone’s surprise, the ball-tracking showed impact to be in line with the leg-stump and the ball hitting too leading to the on-field decision getting overturned. Crawley had to walk back to the pavilion and there was jubilation in the Indian camp.

A lot of questions are being raised over the technology as it was clear to the naked eye that the ball was not hitting the leg stump. Ben Stokes, reacting to the Zak Crawley dismissal, in the post-match press conference stated that the technology got it wrong but also understands that it can never be 100 per cent correct too. Moreover, he also clarified that Crawley’s dismissal wasn’t the only reason they lost the game.

“Yeah, technology in the games, is obviously there and there’s an understanding that it can never be 100 per cent correct. So that’s why we’ve got the umpire’s call and everything. That’s why it’s in place. And when it’s not 100 per cent correct, as everyone says, I don’t think it’s unfair for someone ever to say that. I think technology’s got it wrong on this occasion. And that’s my personal opinion.

“And I will say that, but, again, in the game full of buts and maybes, I’m not saying that that is a reason as to why we haven’t got the result we wanted. That’s just my personal feeling – I think the technology just got it wrong on this occasion. I think that’s fair to be able to say,” Stokes said.

Zak Crawley was the top-scorer for England in both innings amassing scores of 76 and 73 respectively but he couldn’t cross the three-digit score. The five-match Test series between India and England is levelled at 1-1 now with the hosts winning the second Test by 106 runs. With three Tests to go, the fans could be in for an enthralling ride over the next few weeks in India.

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