Harmison's done it earlier

Just before I came in to work today, I was casually channel-switching, when I saw that ESPN was airing the England v West Indies test at Lord's in 2004.

I caught some of the action in West Indies' futile chase of 468, which also included Andrew Flintoff's brilliant "Mind the windows, Tino" sledge to Tino Best. Before that, this happened. Harmison bowled a no-ball and Omari Banks played it back to the bowler. Banks wasn't even looking at taking a run. Harmison flung the ball on the striker's end stumps. The third umpire was called in for a run out. Banks had jumped to avoid the ball and when the ball hit the stumps, he was in the air. I wasn't able to figure out why the TV umpire, who had to decide since Harper and Koertzen had asked for his assistance, had ruled not out. The TV commentators were of the opinion that since Banks was in the air, he was out.

The extract from Cricinfo's commentary:

54.6 Harmison to Banks, (noball) no run, oversteps, pushed down the pitch, Harmison fields, has a full fling back at the stumps, Banks jumps up as the direct hit is on line, in the air when the wickets were broken but had made his ground before the throw was made.

Reminds you of something Harmison did at Faisalabad, doesn't it? So he seems to like doing this thing!

Even in 2004, the on-field umpires Harper and Koertzen referred it to the third umpire. They had no business doing so, just as Hair and Taufel shouldn't have, at Faisalabad.

Labels: hair