ICC refuses to change Cricket World Cup bails
Wednesday 12 June 2019 14:09, UK
The bails being used at the Cricket World Cup will not be changed mid-tournament after the ICC insisted their repeated failure to dislodge despite the ball hitting the stumps is a "statistical anomaly".
A bowler's delivery has struck the stumps five times in the opening 13 completed games of the tournament, only for the electronic bails to remain in place.
The latest reprieve - for Australia batsman David Warner against India on Sunday - led to both country's captains expressing their disapproval of bowlers not being rewarded for their work.
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The ICC have said the equipment used is the same for all the teams in every match and won't be changed mid-event for fear of compromising the integrity of the tournament.
The ICC also indicated that the stumps have been used in all ICC events since the 2015 Men's Cricket World Cup and in a range of domestic events, amounting to more than 1000 games, and that the recent incidents are a statistical anomaly.
David Ligertwood - a director at Zing, which invented and produces the product - says recent events have come as a surprise and is looking into potential reasons.
"The Zing wicket system has operated in well over a thousand games and this issue has not happened frequently. This recent cluster currently has us stumped," he told Sky Sports News.
"Zing is currently monitoring the situation, including how they are being put in the pitch at the ground, while reviewing all aspects.
"At the same time we are looking into whether there are some practical modifications that can be made in the future to make the bails come off easier.
"This issue is obviously important as the game wants batsmen being dismissed when they should be. But even with this unusual spate of bails not falling, it remains definitive and it remains the same for both sides."
The drama hasn't been limited to the Cricket World Cup, with another incident occurring during England women's one-day international against the West Indies on Sunday, as Tammy Beaumont escaped when Afy Fletcher's delivery firmly struck her off stump.
Watch every game of the ICC Cricket World Cup live on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup, continuing with Australia vs Pakistan from 10am on Wednesday.
