Steve Smith’s catch divides cricket world amid ‘cheating’ Ashes backlash

Steve Smith has found himself at the center of an ugly controversy for the second day the second Ashes Test At Lord’s after he was accused of “cheating” after taking a stunning catch to remove Joe Root. It was an eventful day Smith, who became the fastest man to reach 32 Test hundredsjoined Steve Waugh on Australia’s all-time list with Ricky Ponting as the only Aussie with more red-ball tons (41).

England were bowled out on day two at 4-278 in reply to Australia’s first innings of 416, and the game was again in the balance when the hosts bowled out the last three overs. One of those Aussie wickets was the prized scalp of England’s top batsman Root, who fell into the Australian short ball trap and caught Smith for 10 off the bowling of Mitchell Starc.

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In scenes reminiscent of Cameron Green’s catch to remove India’s Shubman Gill in the World Cup final, Smith took a brilliant diving catch at square leg to remove Root. Replays showed it was a clean catch by Smith, whose ball-carrying hands then brushed the grass as it landed, prompting an angry backlash from some fans.

Steve Smith’s catch sparks cheating allegations

Similarly, Green was accused of cheating against India and Smith too faced a similar backlash from Ashes spectators. Many were of the opinion that it was a fair catch, however, as the case sparked heated debate on social media.

Root’s dismissal was one of the last three quick scores for the Aussies as England squandered a dominant position that saw them cruise at 1-188. Ollie Pope (42 runs), Ben Duckett (98) and Root (10) were all caught playing a hook shot to make a subtle exit from the match on day three.

Nathan Lyon’s injury shakes the Aussies

However, Australia have a major concern over Nathan Lyon as the veteran spinner is unlikely to feature in future Tests after being ruled out with a calf injury. The 36-year-old was pulled short as he lunged in to try and make a catch at deep backward point, immediately clutching his calf afterwards and limping off the field.

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The injury is likely to leave Australia without a front-line spinner for the remainder of the match, with Smith and Travis Head sharing the spin duties. It also leaves Lyon scrambling to be fit for the third test, which starts at Headingley next Thursday.

The Australians are sweating on tests to determine the extent of Lyon’s calf injury. Todd Murphy is the obvious replacement if Lyon is ruled out of the third Test. Lyon’s injury came after he took England’s innings at the only wicket up to that point, bowling out Zak Crawley for 48, tripping him on the side of the legs.

The wicket took him to 496 in his career and at that point it looked like the 500 milestone could come this week. The injury was particularly brutal for Lyon, who created another stunning landmark by appearing in his 100th successive Test.

with agencies

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