From Sehwag to Inzamam: Five funniest run-outs in cricket

11/03/2016

Despite its slow pace, cricket never lacks edge-of-the-seat moments once the ball has hit the bat.

The 22 yards turn into a battlefield as the batsmen try to outrun the fielder’s throw for one extra run, and the wicketkeepers try to outwit the batsmen with lightning moves - MS Dhoni is the greatest exponent of both arts. But then, there exist players on the other end of the spectrum - say Sourav Ganguly to Virender Sehwag, we have seen them conserve their energy by avoiding singles and more than make up for it by finding the ropes.

And then, there are the few who exist beyond the realms of silly ones and twos - Inzamam-ul-Haq of the silky skills and leaden boots. The legend has been as much legend for his skill or the lack of it between the wickets as for his inimitable talent. However, for the former, he is in some august company.

1. Amit Mishra in IPL 2014

This may go down as the funniest run-out incident in the 21st Century. The match was between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals in the 2014 IPL, and Amit Mishra and Irfan Pathan were the two men at the crease. After trying to sneak through for a bye, Mishra found himself lucky as Rajasthan Royals wicket-keeper Sanju Samson failed to hit the stumps with him still at the half-way mark. Faulkner, who was the bowler at the other end was still in his delivery stride but managed to collect the ball to hit the stumps. But, he failed again. By now, Mishra should have reached his crease? No, not to be. He was still on his way to the crease when Sanju collected the ball behind the stumps and disturbed the furniture to send Mishra back to the hut.

2. Mohammad Amir - against West Indies 2016

It was the last ball of the 79th over in Pakistan’s second innings. They were placed at a precarious position after losing seven wickets with a lead of just 136 runs. Then happened the comedy of errors.

Amir lofted Devendra Bishoo over long-on and watched the ball with immense pride admiring the trajectory of the ball and his skills in putting it past the ropes. After striking a self-contented pose, he even strolled down the wicket to receive the greetings from his partner Wahab Riaz, who also thought that the ball crossed the rope. But Roston Chase, standing at long-on, did the unthinkable by pulling the ball back into play even as he went over the ropes. Then, the West Indian ran back in and hurled the ball to the bowler’s end. Only then did reality finally strike Amir. He desperately tried to cover the distance, and in the process, even lost the bat from his hand to get run-out in the end.

3. Samit Patel - Nottinghamshire vs Derbyshire

In an English county game between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, English batsman Samit Patel, playing for Nottinghamshire faced this famous ignominy. Samit first hit a beautiful cover drive, and while running for runs, slipped awfully in the middle of the turf, only to see Derbyshire wicketkeeper Tom Poynton duly whipping off the bails.

The incident was so funny that his England and Notts team-mate Stuart Broad even remarked on Twitter, "Who put that banana in the middle of the wicket? A must watch."

4. Virender Sehwag - India vs Sri Lanka, Vizag. 2007

It was the fourth ODI of the series against Sri Lanka when India were placed at a comfortable position chasing 260 runs. Viru was batting on 46 and was on a comeback trail to earn a place in the 2007 World Cup, and he had Sourav Ganguly for company. Need I say more? Ganguly plus Sehwag and add to that running between the wickets is a recipe for a disaster.

While Sehwag was taking the single, he took it in his mind to shadow practise the shot mid-run. Sanga saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to whip off the bails in the midst of this playacting, even as Ganguly was screaming “Viru, Viru” at the top of his lungs. The rest, as they say, is comedy.