Watt’s the fuss: Mark Watt’s 25-yard ‘long ball’ resurfaces against Australia

Towards the end of the opening T20I between Australia and Scotland in Edinburgh, talk switched from Travis Head’s pyrotechnics to the ‘long ball’ tactics of left-arm spinner Mark Watt and the grey areas of the Law that his innovation approach challenges.

The ball after having Mitchell Marsh taken on the rope, Watt delivered one of his 25-yard deliveries to Josh Inglis who made the very late decision to step away with it taking the leg bail. The umpire called ‘dead ball’, although he did appear to speak to Inglis. It happened again a short while later when Marcus Stoinis stepped away having started to face up, although on this occasion the ball missed the stumps.

“It’s just trying to rush [the batters],” Watt has previously explained. “By the time I’ve let it go, the batsman looks up and the ball’s halfway down the wicket.”

The wording of the relevant Law, 20.4.2.5, showed the umpire had made the correct call. “Either umpire shall call and signal Dead ball when…the striker is not ready for the delivery of the ball and, if the ball is delivered, makes no attempt to play it. Provided the umpire is satisfied that the striker had adequate reason for not being ready, the ball shall not count as one of the over.”

However, the “adequate reason” for the batter to pull away is left for the umpire’s discretion and Watt clearly felt Inglis had been ready to face. Freeze frames of the moment Watt started his run up did appear to suggest that Inglis was still looking down when tapping his bat, although he was looking towards the bowler before the ball was delivered.

On commentary, the former Scotland captain Preston Mommsen suggested Inglis had been fortunate. “The unexpected nature of the delivery coming from 23, 24 yards. He’s a very lucky man to still be there,” he said.

There wouldn’t have been an impact on the result, but it’s not the first time the debate has been sparked as to whether Watt was denied a wicket. The same situation occurred in the T20 World Cup earlier this year when Oman batter Khalid Kail was ‘bowled’ after stepping away and umpire Chris Brown called dead ball. On that occasion Watt and captain Richie Berrington spoke to the umpire but on Wednesday, apart from a few gesticulations the game went on, although there were boos from the crowd after the second dead-ball call.

During the World Cup example, Tom Moody, who was commentating for the game, believed Kail was ready and ball shouldn’t have been dead. “The batter’s looking up. He’s ready. To me, that is a legitimate ball,” Moody had said. “The ball is live. As soon as the batter has placed his bat down and faces up, looks up to the bowler, he’s ready to go.”

Australia were on alert for the tactic when they faced Scotland in the T20 World Cup in St Lucia, where Inglis was a member of the squad and Stoinis was in the XI.

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo