The Day 2 of the World Test Championship final at Lords witnessed drama involving South African batter David Bedingham and Australia's wicketleepr batsman Alex Carey. Facing Australian all-rounder Beau Webster, Bedingham inside-edged a delivery that deflected off his thigh and awkwardly nestled in the flap of his front pad.
Realising the ball was lodged in his gear, Bedingham casually reached down, plucked it out, and dropped it on the turf. A half-hearted appeal followed as Carey and the close-in fielders questioned whether Bedingham had committed cricket’s rarest offences: obstructing the field.
The on-field umpires quickly gathered for a brief discussion. Although Bedingham’s sheepish expression suggested he knew he might have crossed a line, the officials ultimately ruled in his favour. After deliberation, they concluded that there was no deliberate attempt to obstruct and allowed play to continue, avoiding what would have been a highly unusual dismissal.
What do the laws say?
As per law 37.3.1 in the ICC rulebook: “The striker is out obstructing the field if wilful obstruction or distraction by either batter prevents the striker being out caught.” Since the ball had never struck the ground, if Carey had picked it up from the pad flap, Bedingham would have been given out.
However, this rule is superseded by the rule for when a dead ball is announced, which automatically means a wicket is taken off the table. Law 20.1.1.4 states that the ball is dead when it “becomes trapped between the bat and person of a batter or between items of his/her clothing or equipment.”
WTC Finals 2025: Bowlers continue to dominate on Day 2
The second day of the WTC Finals was no different as wickets continued to tumble. Another 14 wickets fell in a gripping day of Test cricket, despite Australia seizing a strong advantage by stumps.
It was Pat Cummins who set the tone for the day with a masterful spell after lunch, ripping through the South African batting lineup. The Australian skipper claimed four of the five wickets to fall in the second session, playing a key role in dismissing South Africa for just 138 and securing a vital first-innings lead of 74. Cummins had earlier provided the breakthrough by removing Temba Bavuma, ending a promising stand between Bavuma and David Bedingham.
Despite trailing, South Africa came out with renewed energy with the ball. Although Australia made a steady start in their second innings, with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne putting on 28 runs in the first 10 overs, the momentum quickly shifted. Kagiso Rabada struck twice in a single over, removing both Labuschagne and Cameron Green to ignite a collapse.
Lungi Ngidi, who had a quiet first innings, roared back to form with key scalps including Steve Smith, Beau Webster, and Cummins — as Australia crumbled from 28/0 to 73/7.
Just when South Africa looked poised to claw their way back into the match, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc came together to forge a crucial partnership. Their 61-run stand steadied Australia’s innings and pushed their overall lead past the 200-run mark, placing them firmly in control heading into Day Three.
