(BBC) England centurion Ian Bell was reprieved and allowed to bat on in the second Test against India at Trent Bridge after initially being controversially run out yesterday.
The incident happened off the last ball before tea when fielder Praveen Kumar incorrectly thought Eoin Morgan’s effort off Ishant Sharma was going for four, but it failed to reach the rope.
Bell believed it was tea and walked towards the dressing room but the ball was returned and the bails removed with the Indians appealing for a run-out.
After a long discussion between umpires Marais Erasmus, Asad Rauf and the third umpire Billy Bowden, a furious Bell was dismissed on 137.
Many of the home supporters in the Trent Bridge crowd were unhappy at the decision and let their feelings be known at the tea interval.
But BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower went to the Indian dressing room during the interval and asked them to reconsider the appeal.
India captain Mahendra Dhoni then withdrew the appeal and Bell reappeared after tea to resume his partnership with Morgan before eventually being dismissed for 159.
At close of play, Bell told BBC Sport: “Looking back, it was probably a bit naïve on my part to automatically walk off for tea but the right decision has been made for the good of the game and it is a relief.
“I put my bat down after the third and it looked like we were just meandering off for tea.
“Turning around, the umpire took his jumper out and started to walk towards the bowler and it all just looked like it was going towards tea. We were both a bit shocked, we didn’t really realise what had happened until we were halfway off.
“I didn’t know until the last minute that I would be going back out again but the way it’s been handled has been fantastic and in the spirit of the game.”
He added: “I’ve learned a lot of lessons. I won’t ever do that again. I’ve got to take some blame. To walk off for tea was very naive, a bit stupid.”
The England & Wales Cricket Board issued a statement thanking the Indian team for withdrawing the appeal in the spirit of cricket, while International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat added: “I am indeed grateful for the way that the teams and match officials handled what was clearly a difficult situation and their behaviour reflects well on everyone.”
India batsman Rahul Dravid added that the atmosphere in the Indian dressing rom during the tea interval was not entirely comfortable after the incident.
“We didn’t feel right after coming back at tea and we felt the right thing would be to reinstate Ian Bell,” he said.
“It was lucky we had tea at that stage. Everyone was discussing the events and once we looked at it on television, we knew it didn’t feel right and we wanted to try and correct that. There was unanimity over our decision.
“We would have been fully within our rights to stick to our guns and said he was out but also I think we were right to reinstate him.”
Former England captain and Test Match Special summariser Michael Vaughan told BBC Sport: “I think clearly [the fielder] Praveen Kumar gave an indication the ball had gone for four so Bell didn’t think think anything untoward had happened and just walked off for tea.
“I’m just glad that it was sorted out at tea because it would have got very very nasty if that decision had been upheld.
“As a captain I think I would have appealed just as Dhoni did – he had every right to appeal. But I also think I would have been talked around at tea time for the good of the game.
“I think Bell just had a dozy lapse, just as I probably would have done as a player.”
Vaughan’s fellow former England international and TMS summariser Phil Tufnell praised the actions of the Indians in reconsidering the appeal decision.
“It’s something like that that could just turn a whole series sour,” he said. “I think after a cup of tea, the right decision was made.”
Another TMS summariser, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, added: “I have to congratulate Mahendra Singh Dhoni for what he did. It was a tough call. The umpire had given the batsman out but Dhoni kept to the spirit of the game, and I think it’s so important in this day and age to keep the right spirit.
“There has been a fair bit of animosity, not just between these teams, and I think if there were more captains like Dhoni you could get back to the days of the phrase, ‘It’s just not cricket.’ He’s set an example for the other captains.”
England went on to build a 374-run lead by the close of play on day two, with Bell dismissed for 159.
