MCC goes on record to state Akash Deep’s delivery to Joe Root was legal

MCC Rules Akash Deep's Delivery to Joe Root as Legal

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has stated that Akash Deep's delivery that bowled Joe Root in the Edgbaston Test was legal. Despite controversy over the legality of the delivery, the MCC believes that the law is clear: the foot's position at the moment it first lands is what matters.

Akash Deep clean bowled Root with an incoming delivery, but footage showed the bowler's back foot going wide off the crease, leading some to claim it was a no ball. However, the MCC insists that as long as the first part of the foot to land is inside the crease, the delivery is legal.

The MCC quoted Law 21.5.1, which states that the bowler's back foot must land within and not touching the return crease. The MCC clarified that it is the foot's position at the moment it lands that is relevant, not any subsequent contact with the ground.

The controversy was sparked when some commentators and former England batter Jonathan Trott suggested the delivery was a no ball. However, Ravi Shastri and the third umpire Paul Reiffel disagreed, and the MCC has now confirmed that the delivery was legal.

Root's wicket was a crucial breakthrough for India, and they went on to win the Test by 336 runs, leveling the five-Test series.