Amla's bat-bat dismissal
ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Chittagong
Alan Gardner in Chittagong
24-Mar-2014
The dismissal
Hashim Amla had not looked at his most fluent during an innings that pootled rather than powered along but his dismissal was even more of a curiosity. Corey Anderson trundled in and Amla drove forcefully on the up back down the ground. JP Duminy, at the non-striker's end, had to take evasive action but he could not get entirely out of the way - the ball struck his bat, knocking it out of his hand, and then looped up to be caught by the alert Anderson.
Hashim Amla had not looked at his most fluent during an innings that pootled rather than powered along but his dismissal was even more of a curiosity. Corey Anderson trundled in and Amla drove forcefully on the up back down the ground. JP Duminy, at the non-striker's end, had to take evasive action but he could not get entirely out of the way - the ball struck his bat, knocking it out of his hand, and then looped up to be caught by the alert Anderson.
The relevant law is 32.3 (d), that a catch will be legal if "a fielder catches the ball after it has touched an umpire, another fielder or the other batsman". Andrew Symonds suffered similar misfortune in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2006, when his shot struck Michael Clarke's pad and deflected to mid-on.
The wide
South Africa would have had a 'Wanted' poster with Brendon McCullum's face and several dollar signs on their dressing room door and Imran Tahir went to some length to pick up the reward. McCullum had only faced three balls when he set off on a quick two-step towards the bowler but Tahir spotted him coming and dragged his legbreak wide of the return crease, way out of reach and with the batsman stranded. The extra run to New Zealand seemed worth it at the time.
South Africa would have had a 'Wanted' poster with Brendon McCullum's face and several dollar signs on their dressing room door and Imran Tahir went to some length to pick up the reward. McCullum had only faced three balls when he set off on a quick two-step towards the bowler but Tahir spotted him coming and dragged his legbreak wide of the return crease, way out of reach and with the batsman stranded. The extra run to New Zealand seemed worth it at the time.
The umpire killer
Duminy was in electric form as the innings drew to a close and, as well as leaving his mark on the New Zealand bowlers, he very nearly landed one on Aleem Dar as well. Bowling the final over, Tim Southee sent down a low full toss that Duminy returned with the speed of a rubber ball rebounding, at about chest height and right over the top of the wicket at the non-striker's end. Dar is known to play a bit of table tennis to keep his eyes sharp and he displayed cat-like reflexes to avoid taking a blow to the body - or denying Duminy a boundary.
Duminy was in electric form as the innings drew to a close and, as well as leaving his mark on the New Zealand bowlers, he very nearly landed one on Aleem Dar as well. Bowling the final over, Tim Southee sent down a low full toss that Duminy returned with the speed of a rubber ball rebounding, at about chest height and right over the top of the wicket at the non-striker's end. Dar is known to play a bit of table tennis to keep his eyes sharp and he displayed cat-like reflexes to avoid taking a blow to the body - or denying Duminy a boundary.
The scoop
Mitchell McClenaghan is one of New Zealand's quicker bowlers but that didn't stop Duminy attempting to ramp him over the keeper. In the 12th over, the batsman settled into a crouch, tucked his head down and flicked ineffectually as a length ball sailed over him. Two overs later, he picked his target a little better, spotting a slower ball, readjusting to the line outside off and playing a reverse angle scoop wide of Luke Ronchi and away to the third man boundary.
Mitchell McClenaghan is one of New Zealand's quicker bowlers but that didn't stop Duminy attempting to ramp him over the keeper. In the 12th over, the batsman settled into a crouch, tucked his head down and flicked ineffectually as a length ball sailed over him. Two overs later, he picked his target a little better, spotting a slower ball, readjusting to the line outside off and playing a reverse angle scoop wide of Luke Ronchi and away to the third man boundary.
Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here