A rare incident during a Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 match in St Lucia, where Ricky Pointing was given a reprieve following a run out, has given the spirit of cricket a new lease of life.
According to news.com.au, with the score at 2-86 in the 11th over, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who is playing for the Antigua Hawksbills, set off for a quick single, only to collide with St Lucia Zouks bowler Albie Morkel who was attempting to field the ball.
While Morkel could not get to the ball, Tino Best did, gathering and hitting the stumps with Ponting well short of his ground, the report said.
The incident was referred to third umpire Billy Bowden to deem whether or not Ponting should be given out, the report added.
Despite the help of video replays, Bowden decided to return the decision to the on-field umpires, who then passed it on to Zouks captain Darren Sammy and in a show of sportsmanship that defied recent ugly modern trends, Sammy offered Ponting a reprieve and the batsman continued his innings, the report further said.