Centurion Cameron Green emerged onto the field for Day 2 of the opening Test against New Zealand with the task of extending Australia’s overnight total of 279/9, primarily by retaining the strike and partnering with tailender Josh Hazlewood.
Green kicked off with a beautiful boundary off Matt Henry’s first over, setting a positive tone. However, chaos ensued shortly thereafter, with the risk of a five-run penalty looming over the visitors due to on-field commotion.
In the 88th over’s final delivery, Hazlewood confidently flicked a full delivery off his pads into the gap between short-midwicket and forward square-leg, prompting a quick dash for two runs. Yet, fielders closed in faster than anticipated, leading the batsmen to believe only one run was feasible to maintain Hazlewood’s strike in the next over.
Despite being mere yards away from swapping ends, they returned to their respective creases, wearing bemused grins at the absurdity of the situation. Retirement-bound umpires Marais Erasmus and Michael Gough deliberated over a potential breach of Law 18.5.1, regarding deliberately short runs.
— Vince Sinha (@SinhaVince29999) February 29, 2024
However, since neither batsman had grounded his bat inside the opposite crease, the umpires ultimately let the Australians off the hook after a lengthy discussion spanning a couple of minutes. Despite the close call, the incident sparked a flurry of amusing reactions on Twitter.