Coming in at 3/116, Minehead batsman Jay Darrell was within one shot of a century with two runs needed for victory. Photo / File / 123RF
It's just not cricket.
An English bowler has been slammed after denying an opponent an opportunity to score a ton with an awful moment of bad sportsmanship.
The one-day match between second XI teams Minehead CC and Purnell CC in the Somerset Cricket League had seen a great chase in the 45-over fixture.
Purnell had been sent into bat and hit 280 to set a competitive total.
Coming in at 3/116, Minehead batsman Jay Darrell was within one shot of a century with two runs needed for victory.
Everything was falling into place for Darrell to hit his maiden league century — until an unnamed Purnell bowler deliberately threw the ball to the boundary for the match-ending extras.
While the bowler reportedly "laughed" about the incident, Minehead gave credit to the reaction of the bowler's teammates. Purnell were also quick to respond, promising "the incident will be dealt with internally by the Club".
Piers Morgan also had his say on the debacle.
Despite missing out on his maiden century, the young batsman at the centre of the controversy appeared to have no hard feelings.
This is not the first time this has happened in cricket circles.
West Indian star Kieron Pollard was bowled a no-ball at the end of a 2017 Caribbean Premier League match with batsman Evin Lewis on 97 off 33 balls.
Back in 2010, India's Virender Sehwag was stranded on 99 when Sri Lankan bowler Suraj Randiv bowled a no-ball to complete a one-day international in Sri Lanka. Randiv was subsequently given a one-match suspension.
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