BUMBLE’S VERDICT: Why Steve Smith should have been given out

Steve Smith was almost run out on day two of the final Ashes Test as a superb bit of fielding from sub fielder George Ealham allowed Jonny Bairstow to seemingly whip the bails off with the batter just short of his ground.

Smith believed he was gone and started to walk off the pitch, but the third umpire recalled him after judging the incident not out.

The keeper had already partially brushed the bails with his glove before the ball arrived, meaning one of the bails had left its groove. This is why Nitin Menon recalled Smith.

However, the other bail remained in place until Bairstow broke the bails fully with the ball when Smith was still short of his ground, so the incident could have been given out.

Here, former First class Umpire David Lloyd gives his verdict on the confusion. 

Steve Smith survived a run out scare on the second day of the final Ashes Test at the Oval

David Lloyd feels he should have been given out as the wicket had not been broken when Jonny Bairstow removed the bails with the ball

Steve Smith. Out or not-out? The debate raged in the media centre. Everybody turns into an umpire but as a former umpire, it should have been given out. All the ex-players, almost to a man, agreed that Smith was out.

The ‘dislodging of the bails’ is a slightly ambiguous term but if you look at this particular incident, the bail was not sufficiently dislodged. There was disruption of the bail by Jonny Bairstow but it was not dislodged. It may have been dislodged from a groove, but not from both grooves.

I would never have liked to make that decision and had the utmost sympathy for Nitin Menon but I do like to keep the game moving!

Law 29.1 states: ‘The wicket is broken when at least one bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or one or more stumps is removed from the ground.’

Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, MCC’s Official Interpretation of the Laws of Cricket, adds: ‘For the purposes of dismissal — a bail has been removed at the moment that both ends of it leave their grooves.’

Whatever the final decision, it will a brilliant bit of work from sub fielder George Ealham (second from right)

Smith went on to make 71 as Australia took a 12 run lead at the end of day two