The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the law-making body of cricket, has finally put an end to the debate over Akash Deep’s dismissal of Joe Root in the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston on July 5, 2025. The question was whether the Indian bowler overstepped.
The problem started when some fans and experts thought Akash Deep’s back foot landed beyond the return crease when he bowled to Root. Rules say if a bowler’s back foot is outside the return crease, it’s a no-ball. The third umpire didn’t call it, and confusion reigned.
Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott, now a commentator, wondered if the delivery was legal. But former India head coach Ravi Shastri said the on-field decision was right. And now the MCC has said the umpire made the correct call.
MCC’s Law 21.5.1 says a delivery is legal if the back foot lands inside the return crease when it first touches the ground. It doesn’t matter if it moves outside later.
The MCC told Cricbuzz that Deep’s foot first landed inside the crease. Only later did part of it move outside.
An MCC spokesperson said, Deep landed wide on the crease, and part of his back foot seemed to touch the ground outside the return crease, the third umpire did not call a no ball. The MCC is happy to clarify that this was a correct decision based on the Law.
The MCC has always said that the moment the back foot lands is when it first touches the ground. As soon as any part of the foot touches the ground, that foot has landed and its position at that time is what matters for a back foot no ball.
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It’s clear that when Deep’s foot first touched the ground, it was inside the return crease. Some of his foot may have touched the ground outside the crease later, but that doesn’t matter. He was within the crease when his foot landed. So, the delivery was correctly called legal, the MCC said, and the debate is over.
Akash Deep had a great game, taking 10 wickets. He’s only the second Indian bowler to do this in an English Test. His bowling helped India dismiss England for 271 in the second innings, and India won by 336 runs, and the series is now 1-1.
