Thaindian News

Nottingham, Aug 1 (IANS) Former England captain Nasser Hussain says he would not have done what Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did by recalling Ian Bell after he was controversially adjudged run out Sunday in the second cricket Test against India here at Trent Bridge.

Bell, who struck a delightful 159 in England’s second innings, was declared out in a bizarre fashion at the stroke of tea on the third day of play. Bell started walking back to the dressing room thinking that his batting partner Eoin Morgan had hit a four on the leg side.

But the fielder pulled the ball back in time and threw it to Dhoni, who whipped off the bails and appealed for a run out. In the end, Bell was given out as the ball was still in play when he started to walk back.

Hussain joined the likes of Ian Botham and Michael Holding in criticising Bell’s attitude.

“Don’t ever leave your crease while there is any chance that the ball might be live, under any circumstances. By the letter of the law, Bell was run out, as simple as that. India were well within their rights to take the bails off and appeal,” wrote Hussain in Daily Mail.

Hussain feels the Indians were right in appealing for a run out and he would have done the same thing in his playing days.

“I must say that when I was England captain, in the heat of the battle, I would have appealed, definitely. I would have seen nothing wrong in running out a batsman who had left his crease when it is not clear whether the ball had gone for four.

“Even when I got back to the dressing room and thought about it I am not sure I would have done what Dhoni did and withdrawn the appeal. I would have just said to the batsman: ‘You messed up there, not us. Bad luck.’”

Dhoni and his entire team chatted at length on the incident during the tea session and a consensus was reached on recalling Bell back to the crease.

Hussain lauded Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher for the sporting gesture.

“You have to give a huge amount of credit to Dhoni and Fletcher, if he was directly involved, for India’s gesture in recalling Bell.

“Dhoni has not had the best of series, what with his lack of runs, his poor keeping and India’s poor over-rates. In one fell swoop he has changed all that and will be lauded for this. His gesture in the best interests of the game will be remembered for a long time.”