Ashes: Did Stokes drop the series? Watch England skipper put down Smith

Ben Stokes dropped Steve Smith off Moeen Ali in an unbelievable manner. Not many people, including even the English fielders, realised that it would count as a dropped catch

Lunch was called on Day five during the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Oval after a dramatic Moeen Ali over in which England skipper Ben Stokes dropped Steve Smith in an unbelievable manner.

The ball, an off-spinner by Ali brushed Smith’s gloves and went to Stokes standing at leg slip. He jumped in the air and caught the ball and in the moment of throwing it in the air to celebrate the wicket, the ball hit his knee and fell on the ground. 

Out or not out?  #EnglandCricket| #Ashes pic.twitter.com/q2XCJuUpxM

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2023

Not many people, including even the English fielders, realised that it would count as a dropped catch. 

 

What does the cricket law says?

According to rule 33.3 of making a catch by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), “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.”

Stokes himself felt let down after the ball ricocheted from his thighs and fell on the ground. However, England reviewed and the since there was contact with the bat, they lost their review which was for LBW as the catch-out was already out of contention. Umpires had already termed the English captain of not being in total control of his body or the ball while completing the catch. 

Can England make a comeback?

England did their best by picking up three early wickets on the fifth day. However Smith and Travis Head put together 69 off just 102 balls. As a result, the Australian team’s score read 238/3 at Lunch. They added 100 runs and lost three wickets in the first session and now need only 146 more runs to win the match and their first-ever Ashes series in England since 2001. They have in store seven wickets to do that. 

England must get all the wickets to win the match. That’s the only way.  England are already trailing 1-2 in the series and have lost the chance to retain the Ashes. If they don't win today, they will lose the series as well. This might be series dropping catch by Stokes. 

Stokes' Herschelle Gibbs moment?

It could turn out to be Ben Stokes' Herschelle Gibbs moment as the South African player had dropped Australia's Steve Waugh in a similar fashion during the 1999 ODI World Cup semi-final. At short mid-wicket, Gibbs wnet into celebration mode even before catching the ball and ropped it. Watch the video below. After the catch drop, Waugh had allegedly said to Gibbs, " You dropped the World Cup".