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A former Australian test bowler has labelled Joe Root a cheat for claiming a controversial catch in the second Ashes test at Lords.
Andy Bichel, who took 58 wickets from 19 tests, described Root's actions as 'blatant cheating' following the England captain claiming a contentious catch in the second test.
Root claimed the catch of substitute Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne - who was brought into the test as international crickets first-ever concussion substitute for the felled Steve Smith - on day five of the test despite the ball appearing to touch the ground before going into his clutching fingers.
The catch was cleared by the third umpire but debate continued to rage long after the match ground to a draw.
Speaking on Macquarie Sports Radio on Wednesday, Bichel said Root would have known the ball didn't carry cleanly into his hands.
"It didn't carry – you can see that," Bichel said.
"It's ricocheted off the player as well, so it's bobbled a little bit to him. He knows he's picked it up on the half-volley. It's blatant cheating.
"To stand there and then all of a sudden give Marnus a bit of a send-off as well – 'Mate, you're out, get off here' – when Marnus has seen the footage of it on the TV as well, that he's not out and he shouldn't be out. It was a real bizarre one from Joe, a man of that experience playing it out like it did," Bichel told Macquarie Sports Radio.
Bichel, now the assistant coach of Queensland, has accused Root of not playing within the spirit of the game because he has not been scoring runs and England was already down 1-0 in the five-game series.
"You'd like to think that there was a real gentleman's approach to that; just say, 'Mate, I didn't catch that', and you don't even go upstairs for it. It just didn't happen," Bichel told Macquarie Sports Radio.
"A little low point for a man under pressure in Joe Root. He just hasn't got any runs and now it's just mounting on him day by day."
Speaking before Bichel's claims of 'blatant cheating', Root stood by his decision to claim the catch.
"As a fielder, you know if your fingers are under the ball; I clearly felt that was the case," Root said afterwards. "I'm an honest guy, I am not going to try and cheat the game regardless of the situation," Root told reporters.
The contentious catch is likely to continue as a hot topic in the lead up to the third test at Headingley that begins on Thursday night (NZT).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...t-bowler-accuses-joe-root-of-blatant-cheating
Andy Bichel, who took 58 wickets from 19 tests, described Root's actions as 'blatant cheating' following the England captain claiming a contentious catch in the second test.
Root claimed the catch of substitute Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne - who was brought into the test as international crickets first-ever concussion substitute for the felled Steve Smith - on day five of the test despite the ball appearing to touch the ground before going into his clutching fingers.
The catch was cleared by the third umpire but debate continued to rage long after the match ground to a draw.
Speaking on Macquarie Sports Radio on Wednesday, Bichel said Root would have known the ball didn't carry cleanly into his hands.
"It didn't carry – you can see that," Bichel said.
"It's ricocheted off the player as well, so it's bobbled a little bit to him. He knows he's picked it up on the half-volley. It's blatant cheating.
"To stand there and then all of a sudden give Marnus a bit of a send-off as well – 'Mate, you're out, get off here' – when Marnus has seen the footage of it on the TV as well, that he's not out and he shouldn't be out. It was a real bizarre one from Joe, a man of that experience playing it out like it did," Bichel told Macquarie Sports Radio.
Bichel, now the assistant coach of Queensland, has accused Root of not playing within the spirit of the game because he has not been scoring runs and England was already down 1-0 in the five-game series.
"You'd like to think that there was a real gentleman's approach to that; just say, 'Mate, I didn't catch that', and you don't even go upstairs for it. It just didn't happen," Bichel told Macquarie Sports Radio.
"A little low point for a man under pressure in Joe Root. He just hasn't got any runs and now it's just mounting on him day by day."
Speaking before Bichel's claims of 'blatant cheating', Root stood by his decision to claim the catch.
"As a fielder, you know if your fingers are under the ball; I clearly felt that was the case," Root said afterwards. "I'm an honest guy, I am not going to try and cheat the game regardless of the situation," Root told reporters.
The contentious catch is likely to continue as a hot topic in the lead up to the third test at Headingley that begins on Thursday night (NZT).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...t-bowler-accuses-joe-root-of-blatant-cheating
