On Day 1 of the 1st Test match between England and India at Headingley, a strange and unexpected moment took place involving English skipper Ben Stokes.
While bowling in the 51st over of the match, Stokes delivered a ball that was edged by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The ball first touched Harry Brook’s hand at second slip and then hit onto the helmets kept on the ground behind the wicketkeeper. According to cricket rules, if the ball hits a helmet on the field (not being worn), the following happens: the ball is immediately declared dead and the batting team is awarded 5 penalty runs.
Because of this, Stokes’ over ended with 7 balls instead of the usual 6. The extra ball happened because the ball that hit the helmet didn’t count in the over. This unusual incident surprised the fans. It reminded everyone how some old and lesser-known rules can still affect modern matches.
In the bigger picture, India had a strong Day 1 with centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, and this helmet moment just added to the drama of an already eventful day.
