No-ball or not? Joe Root’s dismissal by Akash Deep raises eyebrows

Dubai: Joe Root looked back in disbelief as his off stump lay shattered. Akash Deep had delivered a beauty — a searing delivery that nipped away just enough to beat the bat. But as replays rolled, attention shifted to something else entirely: the Indian pacer’s back foot. Had he overstepped the return crease? Was it a no-ball?

The dramatic moment during the second innings of the second Test at Edgbaston on Saturday sparked immediate debate. Akash Deep, playing in place of the injured Jasprit Bumrah, had bowled from wide of the crease, slanting the ball in toward middle and off. Root shaped for a leg-side stroke, only for the ball to seam away and crash into his off stump.

But replays appeared to show the pacer’s back foot landing outside the return crease — which, under MCC Law 21.5.1, could render the delivery illegal. The law states:

“The bowler’s back foot must land within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery.”

Former England batter Jonathan Trott, commentating on JioStar, felt the umpires had missed a no-ball call. However, former India coach Ravi Shastri immediately responded that the delivery was legal, arguing that Akash Deep’s foot crossed the line only after it had initially landed within it.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) backed Shastri’s view and issued a statement to clarify the law and the legality of the delivery.

An MCC spokesperson told Cricbuzz:

“On Day Four of India’s Test against England last week, there were questions raised about the delivery from Akash Deep which bowled Joe Root, with some fans and commentators believing it to be a no-ball.

"While Deep landed unusually wide on the crease, and some of his back foot appeared to touch the ground outside the return crease, the third umpire did not call a no-ball. MCC is happy to clarify that this was a correct decision in Law.”

To reinforce its stance, MCC quoted Law 21.5.1 again and clarified that the point of first contact is what matters — not whether the foot eventually slides over the line.

“MCC has always defined the moment that the back foot lands as the first point of contact with the ground. As soon as there is any part of the foot touching the ground, that foot has landed, and it is the foot’s position at that time, which is to be considered for a back-foot no-ball.

Clearly, at the point Deep’s foot first touched the ground, the back foot was within and not touching the return crease. Some of his foot may have touched the ground outside the crease subsequently — that is not relevant to this Law.”

The clarification puts to rest one of the more dramatic moments of India’s record 336-run win over England, which levelled the series at 1-1. The two teams will now head to Lord’s for the third Test, starting Thursday.