Adam Gilchrist took to twitter to show his support for Nevill, reckoning the batsman was being 'lazy'. ©Cricaction
Former wicketkeepers have leapt to the defence of Peter Nevill, Australia's gloveman who has attracted public criticism for his dismissal of Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne during the third Test in Colombo.
The stir on social media erupted after Karunaratne was beaten outside off stump by Nathan Lyon, Australia's spinner, on day four of the Test (on Tuesday). The Sri Lankan batsman casually lifted his back foot as Nevill pounced and whipped off the bails.
In accordance with Law of Cricket Number 39, Karunaratne was adjudged stumped because a legitimate delivery found him out of his ground and the wicket was fairly broken by the wicketkeeper without the intervention of another fielder.
It was not the first time that type of cheeky dismissal has occurred, with Alec Stewart, the former England wicketkeeper, once dismissing West Indies batsman Brian Lara in similar fashion during a one-day international in 1997. Brad Haddin, Nevill's predecessor, often attempted something similar albeit unsuccessfully.
But critics, including several prominent Australian journalists, questioned whether the stumping was within the spirit of the game and compared it to a 'Mankad' dismissal. Martin Blake, a veteran Australian sportswriter, deemed Nevill's actions as "morally wrong" and Rodney Hogg, former Australian paceman turned media identity, described it as "not a true dismissal".
However, former wicketkeepers have united behind Nevill. Ryan Campbell, who was behind the stumps for Australia during two ODIs in the early 2000s, believed the 30-year-old did nothing untoward. "It's just out... has nothing to do with the spirit of the game," Campbell told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (August 17). "It's not like he waited 20 seconds or faked to throw the ball to someone. He watched the batsman and took the bails off instantly.
"I think we misuse the phrase "spirit of cricket" way too much," Campbell added.
Paul Nixon, who was England's wicketkeeper in 19 ODIs and one T20, believed batsmen should be more guarded with their footwork. Nixon said he had seen wicketkeepers attempt it "many times" during his playing days.
"Batsmen have to keep their feet on the ground behind the line, end of story for me," Nixon told Cricbuzz. "Yes it was a longer delay but as a batsman you have to (keep the feet grounded). It's non-negotiable."
Adam Gilchrist, Australia's legendary wicketkeeper, also defended Nevill. "Nothing unethical about this one. Just a little bit lazy by the batsman," Gilchrist wrote on Twitter.
Ever pragmatic, Nevill was nonplussed by the criticism. "If you don't want to get stumped, stay in your crease," he told the media after play on day four.
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