During the fifth day of the Manchester Test between India and England, Zak Crawley was given a stern warning by the umpire for attempting to induce reverse swing. The incident occurred during India's second innings, as the visitors mounted a resilient fightback.
India's innings was initially stabilized by a brilliant century from Shubman Gill, and further bolstered by a century stand between Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. This partnership frustrated the English bowlers, pushing India into a lead and raising the possibility of a draw. As the ball softened and England appeared to tire, Sundar and Jadeja seemed comfortable at the crease.
In the 122nd over, an incident occurred that sparked controversy. After Sundar and Jadeja took a single off Liam Dawson, Zak Crawley's throw towards wicketkeeper Jamie Smith appeared to be deliberately aimed at the rough area beside the pitch, rather than directly at the stumps. The ball landed on the rough, kicking up dust before reaching the keeper. The on-field umpires immediately intervened, cautioning Crawley against repeating such actions.
The timing and trajectory of Crawley's throw raised eyebrows, especially considering England's desperation to generate reverse swing and extract turn from the aging ball on the fifth-day surface. Former England captain Nasser Hussain, who was commentating at the time, noted that Crawley's actions were noticed and not condoned.
The umpires deemed Crawley's behavior as a deliberate attempt to scuff up the ball and create conditions for reverse swing. A second warning would result in a five-run penalty. Reverse swing is a phenomenon where the cricket ball swings in the opposite direction to what is expected, typically occurring when one side of the ball becomes significantly rougher than the other. Teams often try to create this condition by shining one side of the ball while allowing the other side to naturally degrade.
India's resistance was initially led by Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, who formed a 188-run partnership to recover from an early setback. India had been reduced to 0/2 early in the innings, but Rahul (90) and Gill (103) responded with a determined display of resilience.
