WATCH: Bizarre No-Ball Saves Somerset Batter After Kyle Abbott’s Towel Falls On Non-Striker’s End

A bizarre moment in the 2024 County Championship has caught the internet’s attention. A domestic fixture between Somerset and Hampshire witnessed a strange no-ball on September 26.

During the closing moments of Somerset’s first innings, Kyle Abbott hit the stumps against Hampshire batter Shoaib Bashir. However, the 20-year-old survived being bowled on the first ball because of a distraction caused by the South African pacer’s towel. This led to the umpire declaring a no-ball, saving Bashir from losing his wicket.

The official account of County Championship has now shared the bizarre cricket moment on Instagram. “Have you ever seen this happen before?” the post read.

The video began with Kyle Abbott sending a good-length delivery straight towards the middle stump. While the pacer’s delivery had no flaws, his hand towel had accidentally slipped off his pants and fell on the non-striker’s end. As the ball hit the stumps, Shoaib Bashir looked a little frustrated before pointing towards the umpire’s direction.

The umpire acknowledged the distraction and declared the delivery to be a no-ball. The commentators could be heard confirming the same as they said, “His towel has fallen out of his back pocket, which means it’s a no-ball. And would you believe it? Kyle Abbott would’ve been on a hattrick.”

While the no-ball saved Shoaib Bashir initially, the Somerset batter didn’t last long. He was eventually sent packing in the penultimate ball of the 54th over. It was Kyle Abbott again, who dismissed the him after an lbw. The wicket ended Somerset’s first innings as they finished with 136 runs. At the end of Day 1, Hampshire added 62 runs to their chase while losing five wickets.

This isn’t the only strange moment the County Championship has witnessed this year. Only a few weeks ago, a clash between Lancashire and Durham saw an unexpected umpire substitution midgame.

Playing at the Riverside Ground on September 8, Durham Assitant coach Alan Walker replaced an on-field official as the substitute square leg umpire for an over. The reason for the sudden change was a toilet break taken by umpire Michael Gough.

The official Instagram accounts of County Championship and Durham Cricket shared the bizarre moment on Instagram. They wrote, “Filling in at square leg umpire? That would be Durham coach Alan Walker of course.”

With the County Championship 2024 entering its closing phase, cricket fans could be in line to witness a few more bizarre moments in the tournament.

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