The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has provided clarification regarding Mitchell Starc's controversial catch during the second Ashes Test at Lord's. The incident occurred towards the end of day four, when Australia believed they had secured a crucial wicket by dismissing Ben Duckett. The left-handed England batsman had top-edged a delivery from Cameron Green, resulting in the ball being sent towards deep fine-leg.
In a display of agility, Mitchell Starc sprinted towards the ball and slid to his left, managing to get his hands on it. However, upon closer examination through replays, it became apparent that the ball had made contact with the turf while still in Starc's possession, causing some uncertainty surrounding the legitimacy of the catch.
What is the law
Law 33.3 of the MCC's Laws of Cricket states that "the act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement."
After reviewing the catch, third umpire Marais Erasmus concluded that Mitchell Starc did not have complete control over his movements when the ball made contact with the turf.
The MCC even took to Twitter to clarify the situation:
"Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has 'complete control over the ball and his/her 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."
Use of the law recently
The law in question has been applied in various instances during recent Test matches, including the first two Ashes encounters and the ICC World Test Championship Final held last month. One such instance occurred at Lord's, where Steve Smith successfully caught Joe Root in the first innings. The catch was reviewed and deemed fair by the umpire, Erasmus. Similarly, during another match at Edgbaston, a catch by Marnus Labuschagne was considered not out using a similar application of the law as in Starc's case.
In the WTC23 Final, Cameron Green's catch to dismiss Shubman Gill was closely examined by the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough. After careful inspection, it was determined that Green had control over the catch, with his fingers positioned underneath the ball as both his hand and the ball touched the ground.
