Screengrab of Riyan Parag's bizarre no-ball.© X (Twitter)
The second T20I between India and Bangladesh saw a delivery by Riyan Parag being called a no-ball for a very rare reason. Bowling his very first over in the 11th over of the Bangladesh innings, Parag decided to switch things up on the fourth ball. Parag tried a bizarre sling action, somewhat similar to former India batter Kedar Jadhav's wide action. The trick backfired massively, as Parag ended up stepping outside the pitch tramlines, and rightly saw the ball signalled a no-ball.
Watch: Riyan Parag's bizarre no ball
What was that Riyan Parag ? #INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/JAOTn2mLZM
— sajid (@NaxirSajid32823) October 9, 2024
Why was it a no ball?
Law 21.5 of the rules of cricket set by England's famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) mentions the following:
"The bowler's back foot must land within and not touch the return crease, appertaining to his/her stated mode of delivery. - behind the popping crease. If the bowler's end umpire is not satisfied that all of these three conditions have been met, he/she shall call and signal No ball."
This means that the moment Parag's back foot stepped beyond the white tramline to his left, it was going to be a no ball.
Not only did Parag's foot land outside the tramline, it landed outside the pitch altogether.
The umpire required a couple of checks, but ultimately confirmed it as a no-ball.
Riyan Parag's comeback
Parag returned to his normal action in the very next delivery, the freehit, and prevented Mahmudullah from scoring any extra runs. Just two balls later, Mehidy Hasan Miraz tried to slog Riyan Parag over long-off, and got caught in the deep by substitute fielder Ravi Bishnoi.
Parag also played a cameo at the end of the Indian batting innings. He faced just six balls, but scored 15 runs, hitting two sixes. His little knock helped India add some more runs towards the end, as India piled on 221 in 20 overs against a hapless Bangladesh bowling.