Outrageous Run Out

[missingleg]

Evening all,

I run courses for my county and I was stumped by the following (extremely unlikely) circumstance which I was questioned on.

Please help (I said I would get back to the candidates):

The bowler bowls a ball that accidentally goes straight up in the air...he having released it far too early. Ridiculously, it pitches just a few yards in front of him and bounces once. The batsman runs down the pitch to whack it, sensing easy runs as the ball is of course still live.

However, the bowler intercepts his own delivery just as the striker is about to smash it out of the ground (making the delivery a no-ball).

The bowler then runs out the striker, who is way out of his ground at this point!

In reading the laws I believe this could be a no-ball and run out. I can’t how it becomes automatically dead (although common sense would dictate that the ball would be expected be called dead, it technically isn’t).

Please give any help/advice together with quotations from the laws. Thank you.

[Acumen]

The bowler is now acting as a fielder.

Surely a fielder is not allowed to touch the ball until the striker has touched it (or passed him for byes) - I cannot immediately find direct reference

Law 28.5 prohibits a fielder (other than bowler when actually completing his action - after which he becomes a fielder) from encroaching on the pitch until ... - penalty is No Ball but remains in play.

I think 41.4 deliberate attempt to distract the Striker is the most relevant - clearly by removing the ball, he distracts the striker from trying to play the ball - FIVE PENALTY RUNS and a Level 1 caution!

Physically I think this is almost impossible. It would be very difficult for Striker to reach it before it bounces twice (No Ball) or comes to rest (No Ball & Dead Ball) in front of

[budster]

Hi there Missing leg, Unlikely it might be, but i am sure that the question was prompted by the video in the stage 1 material which shows just such an event.

You are looking for Law 21.9 which explains that it is a 'no ball' and should be immediately called 'dead ball' thereby preventing the run out from being effected.

[missingleg]

Thanks both of you for the advice & assistance.