‌SL vs NZ | Twitter baffled as Blundell’s unorthodox leg side stance culminates into rare wide penalty

ByArijit Kundu, SportsCafe Editor

09/26/2024

Cricket is a game of tactics and demands enormous strategy to baffle the opposition. Not sure, if New Zealand’s counterparts were actually baffled but definitely the spectators’ eyebrows were raised when Tom Blundell adopted a weird keeping stance in the second session of the second Test.

Sri Lanka were happy to bat first despite the gloomy conditions prevailing at the Galle International Stadium and got out to a good start in the first session despite losing Pathum Nissanka in the first over itself. A 122-run second wicket stand between Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal set up a formidable Sri Lankan total with Angelo Mathews taking it forward in the second session. With the hosts marching strong, the Black Caps opted for various strategies, one of which revolved around wicketkeeper Blundell.

With the spin trio of Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner operating halfway through the second session, Blundell was seen taking a keeper’s guard outside the right-hander’s leg stump at the start of the 59th over when Ajaz was about to bowl. The spinner targeted the negative line against Angelo Mathews with the batter trying to nab it down with soft hands or leaving a few deliveries in the over. Eventually, the onfield umpire had a chat with the bowler amidst the over and reprimanded a widish delivery outside the leg stump by penalising with a wide. Although a similar negative line strategy has been opted by various bowlers in the past, such intents are categorized as unsporting in the cricketing circuit. The Twitterverse was bewildered on seeing the keeper take a weird position before seeing a wide being called by the umpire as a reprimanding act.

Video One

pic.twitter.com/5d1UzcBIcK
— Arijit Shanto (@ArijitShan18431) September 26, 2024

Video Two

pic.twitter.com/QYwTDQlydC
— Arijit Shanto (@ArijitShan18431) September 26, 2024

Nice comparision!

#SLvsNZ #NZvSL

Sri Lankan team under Sanath Jayasuriya:

pic.twitter.com/ws5Ij4iRn8
— Secular Chad (@SachabhartiyaRW) September 26, 2024

#SLvsNZ pic.twitter.com/rqNEypouwd
— DarkExecutive (@DarkExecutive) September 26, 2024

He can't be human!

What can Glen Philips not do?#ProperAllRounder #SLvsNZ
— Kirtesh Ajay Gadiya (Parody) (@gadi1590) September 26, 2024

Haaa!

Mathews is determined to succumb to his ego and gift his wicket away to Phillips #SLvNZ #SLvsNZ
— 🔁 (@Tutterdotcom) September 26, 2024

Too many drops tho!

Just have that first slip Southee bro 😂 2 boundaries early on for Kamindu Mendis, both between the keeper and the 3rd slip !#SLvNZ #SLvsNZ
— 🔁 (@Tutterdotcom) September 26, 2024

Hahaha!