Bedingham Admits Panic in Handled-Ball Drama During WTC Final

By skylamp

South Africa’s David Bedingham confessed to a moment of panic after an unusual handled-the-ball incident on day two of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s — one that briefly stirred memories of a previous controversy involving Australia’s wicketkeeper, Alex Carey.

The incident occurred just before the lunch break, with Bedingham batting on 31. Facing a delivery from Beau Webster, he inside-edged the ball onto the flap of his pad while playing off the back foot. As the ball appeared to rest momentarily on his leg, Carey, keeping up to the stumps, quickly moved in to retrieve it before it hit the ground.

Reacting instinctively, Bedingham reached down and tossed the ball to the turf — a move that drew immediate attention. Although the on-field umpires, Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney, ruled the ball dead, the brief confusion raised eyebrows, particularly given Carey’s involvement.

“I definitely panicked in that moment,” Bedingham admitted afterward. “Carey was close, and it all happened so fast. The umpires clarified it was a dead ball, but I realize how it might have looked. I probably made it seem worse than it was.”

Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, later acknowledged that the appeal might have been withdrawn even if the umpires hadn’t intervened — a marked contrast to the infamous Jonny Bairstow stumping in the 2023 Ashes, also at Lord’s. In that case, Carey threw down the stumps after Bairstow stepped out of his crease, sparking a major debate over the spirit of cricket.

Reflecting on the latest incident, Bedingham said, “I’m just glad the appeal didn’t go anywhere. It would’ve brought more drama than needed. The slips told me to stay calm and leave it, but I just got caught in the heat of the moment.”

The Bairstow episode had triggered significant backlash, with Australian players receiving jeers from MCC members in the Long Room. England’s Ben Stokes later remarked that he wouldn’t want to win under such circumstances, although the dismissal was entirely within the laws.

Similarly, MCC’s head of cricket Fraser Stewart said the umpires made the right call in Bedingham’s case, even though the interpretation of Law 20.1.1 — which covers when a ball is considered dead — could have technically allowed for debate. That law defines a dead ball as one that becomes lodged or trapped between a batter’s body and their clothing or gear, or the clothing of an umpire.

Handled-the-ball dismissals are now extremely rare. Since 2017, they’ve been categorized under obstructing the field. The last player officially out in this manner during a Test was England’s Michael Vaughan in 2001, who placed his hand on a rolling ball after it hit the ground — a move deemed as interference. More recently, Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh was dismissed in similar fashion during a 2023-24 match against New Zealand.