Run-outs that would not have been

From September 28 onwards, if a batsman grounds his bat behind the crease and it subsequently loses contact with the ground, so long as the batsman has continued forward momentum, he will not be given out. Over the years, we have seen unfortunate dismissals of batsmen who have made their ground, but seen their bat pop up at the crucial moment. Those dismissals would not have been had the new rule been in place. Here are four memorable instances:

Rohit Sharma
v Pakistan, Edgbaston, 2017 Champions Trophy

This dismissal did not have an impact on the result of the game, but it denied Rohit a first century against India's historic rivals, Pakistan. He was on 91 when his captain, Virat Kohli, called him through for a quick single. He had to dive at the batsman's end to make it, which he did, but the bat, after sliding past the line, popped up. Kohli made amends by scoring 81 and taking India to 319, which proved more than enough.

Chris Jordan
v Bangladesh, Adelaide, 2015 World Cup

If the rule had been changed earlier, then it's possible England would not have been eliminated in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup and we would never have seen the complete upheaval of their one-day side and style of play. In the game that ousted them, they were chasing 276 against Bangladesh and were still in the game when Chris Jordan, a proficient lower-order hitter, came to the crease. They needed 38 runs off 25 balls with three wickets in hand and had Chris Woakes - batting on 32 - for company at the other end. Jordan defended the ball to cover and set off for a run. He was rightly sent back by Woakes and pulled out a dive to make his ground, which it seemed he had done. But the replays showed that while his bat had definitely crossed the crease initially, it bounced up, and no part of it was actually grounded behind the line when the stumps were broken. It was agonisingly close - the bat had risen only slightly, and the handle, which was adjudged to be on the line, not behind it, was grounded - but he was given out, and England eventually lost by 15 runs.

Ian Bell
v Sri Lanka, Antigua, 2007 World Cup

Having restricted Sri Lanka to 235 in a Super-Eight match, England were cruising at 101 for 2, with Ian Bell looking fluent on 47 and Kevin Pietersen on 44. Pietersen drove back a Sanath Jayasuriya delivery that flicked Jayasuriya's hand before hitting the stumps. Replays showed that Bell, backing up at the non-striker's end, had grounded his bat, but it lifted by a few millimetres when the ball struck the stumps. That unfortunate wicket sparked a middle-order collapse, and England lost. A victory would have given them four points from two games, leaving them in a strong position to push for a semi-final berth.

Sachin Tendulkar
v Pakistan, Kolkata, 1999 Asian Test Championship

This run-out started a riot. Tendulkar was batting on 7, with India at 143 for 2 chasing 279 in the fourth innings. While trying to complete what should have been an easy three runs, he collided with Shoaib Akhtar, who had positioned himself behind the wickets to collect the throw. The throw was a direct hit, and Pakistan appealed. Replays showed Tendulkar had grounded his bat and may have slid it millimetres past the crease - the angles shown were inconclusive. But it did not matter, as after he bumped into Akhtar, Tendulkar's bat popped up and was clearly in the air when the bails fell. Under the old playing conditions, that meant he was out. The crowd was angry that Pakistan upheld their appeal and began throwing things at Akhtar, not calming down till Tendulkar himself went onto the field to pacify them. After the dismissal, India collapsed, leading to more crowd trouble. The game eventually had to be completed in a near-empty stadium.