Former England pacer Stuart Broad has commented on a controversial incident involving Australia A batter Marcus Harris during the second unofficial Test against India A. The incident occurred on Day 2 when India A spinner Tanush Kotian delivered a ball that spun past Harris’ bat edge and was caught cleanly by Devdutt Padikkal at first slip. Despite the confident appeal from India A’s fielders, the umpire ruled Harris not out, and Harris remained at the crease without signaling he had edged it.
Broad reacted to a video clip of the incident shared by Cricket Australia, writing, “I’d have walked for that.” Broad’s remark has drawn attention, especially as he himself did not walk in a similar situation during an Ashes match, despite edging the ball to first slip off Ashton Agar’s bowling.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra also commented on the incident, asking, “How’s this Not-Out????” Broad’s comment was prompted after former Australian all-rounder Dan Christian tagged him in the post.
Following the day’s play, Harris responded to the controversy, telling cricket.com.au, “The boys said they watched the replays 20 times and couldn’t really tell if it was out.” He added, “If they reviewed it and it showed I hit it and got caught, I would have gone, ‘Yep, fair enough.’” Kotian, however, was visibly unhappy with the decision, later posting the video on Instagram with a single-word caption: “Horrible.”
Harris, who was on 48 at the time of the incident, went on to score a crucial 74 before being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna. Australia A ended their innings with 223, gaining a 62-run lead over India A. India A found themselves in a challenging position at the close of Day 2, trailing by 12 runs with a score of 73/5, with Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy at the crease.
Harris, potentially in line to open for Australia alongside Usman Khawaja in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, credited his Victoria coach Chris Rogers for advice that helped him adapt to tricky conditions. “Bucky (Rogers) always reminds us that if the pitch is doing something, you don’t always have to go for boundaries; sometimes a couple of runs will do,” Harris said, adding that this approach has helped him keep the scoreboard ticking.
With Harris’ gritty half-century keeping Australia A in control at Melbourne, the decision has continued to spark discussion on both sportsmanship and umpiring accuracy in cricket.
