Lachlan Hammer | 12:05am BST 01 June 2025
Though cricket is a sport usually considered being ruled by an intricate rule e-book as a result of custom it’s so steeped in, generally, issues get a little bit unusual, leading to moments of pure drama. That is very true in the case of dismissals, as cricket has seen some actually weird methods for batters to be despatched again to the pavilion, past the traditional strategies of being bowled, caught, or out LBW.. A few of these have left followers, commentators, gamers and even the umpires scratching their heads; nonetheless, the weirdest dismissals in cricket historical past show that the sport is rarely brief on surprising surprises.
Inzamam-ul-Haq 2006
Beginning with Inzamam-ul-Haq, he was concerned in one of many strangest dismissals cricket has ever seen, when he blocked a throw from Suresh Raina together with his bat whereas out of his crease. Though he wasn’t truly trying a run, he was dominated out for ‘obstructing the sphere’. This all stemmed from Raina recognizing Inzamam’s place and throwing the ball in the direction of the striker’s finish. Inzamam occurred to be straight within the path of the considerably wayward throw, proper in entrance of the stumps. The ball clipped his bat and was stopped, virtually as if he have been enjoying a shot. As a result of actually weird method during which it occurred, this second has develop into part of folklore within the many matchups between Pakistan and India through the years and was so weird, not even cricket betting websites might have predicted what would happen.
Hemulal Yadav 1997
Within the 1997 Ranji trophy that befell between Tripura and Orissa, Indian cricketer Hemulal Yadav was dismissed in one of many rarest methods attainable within the sport of cricket. In first-class cricket, the foundations state that batters have three minutes to take guard after a dismissal. Nevertheless, Yadav failed to achieve the crease in time and was mechanically given out by the umpire. However this wasn’t because of laziness, as you would possibly assume. Tripura have been 9 wickets down on the time, and when it got here time for the following batter to take the sphere, it turned out he had already left the stadium – unbeknownst to the workforce.
Kevin Pietersen 2007
Turning into solely the fourth ever batsman within the historical past of Check cricket to be dismissed by what’s known as a ‘hit wicket’, Kevin Pietersen was dominated out after Dwane Bravo, an all rounder for the West Indies, delivered a bouncer within the third check towards England at Previous Trafford. This bouncer ended up clipping Pitersen’s helmet, one thing which knocked it off his head fully when attempting to keep away from the ball. Nevertheless, because the helmet fell, it sadly landed onto his stumps. Though neither Pietersen nor his bat made direct contact with the stumps, he was nonetheless given out, and the controversial dismissal remained a serious speaking level for the remainder of the Check.
Kurt Wilkinson 2002
Within the cricket rulebook gamers aren’t allowed to strike the ball twice until they’re defying their wicket. Nevertheless, in a home West Indies match again in 2002, Jurt Wilkinson determined to dam the ball earlier than inexplicably putting it once more, this time without work to this facet. By touching the ball twice in the identical portion of play, Wilkinson was instantly given out for a double hit, one other of the weirdest and most unusual methods to be dismissed in cricket.
Andrew Symonds 2006
In an ODI towards Sri Lanka again in 2006, Australian batter Andrew Symonds would proceed to strike the ball that got here straight from Jehan Mubarak. Nevertheless, as he hit the ball, this hurdled straight in the direction of the non-striker’s finish the place runner Michael Clarke was presently positioned. As a result of flight of the ball, it ricocheted off Clarke’s shoe with out touching the bottom, popping up completely for Tillakaratne Dilshan to finish a easy catch. Though the ball was by no means initially heading in the direction of him, his fast reactions and the unlucky occasion of the ball not touching the bottom induced Symbonds to be declared out because of the catch. This was made all of the more unusual contemplating this was solely one of many solely two wickets which Mubarak took in his profession.
AB de Villiers
In a Check match between Bangladesh and South Africa again in 2008, Proteas star AB de Villiers was caught out after skying a ball straight into the palms of batsman Mohammad Ashraful. Though this will likely appear pretty simple, de Villiers truly anticipated the ball to be declared a no ball, therefore the style during which he swatted away the supply with none care in anyway. This was as a result of the ball had bounced twice earlier than reaching his crease, nonetheless, the cricket handbook states the ball should bounce greater than 2 instances to be a no ball. As a result of a easy misunderstanding of the foundations, AB de Villiers basically forfeited his place in entrance of the stumps, not anticipating the catch to be respectable.
Azhar Ali 2018
Pakistan’s Azhar Ali was on the centre of a quite embarrassing dismissal in a check towards Australia again in 2018. After hitting the ball in the direction of the boundaries, Ali stood in the midst of the pitch, pondering he had hit a 4. Nevertheless, what he had not seen is that one of many Australian fielders managed to comb up the because it got here to a cease simply earlier than the boundary, continuing to rifle the ball again in the direction of the wickets earlier than being run out as Ali celebrated. Unsuprisingly, the batting partnership checked out one another in confusion because the bails have been knocked off, not understanding what had simply occurred.
