Fake fielding has, in the past few years been a discussed topic in cricket. To be literal, it implies faking a fielding attempt during a game. But there is not just that and the laws regarding this have much more to it. There was quite a stir about fake fielding after Bangladesh's Nurul Hasan had accused India's former captain, Virat Kohli of the same. during their T20 World Cup 2022 encounter. Many cricket fans would also not forget Fakhar Zaman's dismissal in an ODI in 2021 where Quinton de Kock had signalled the fielder to throw at the non-striker's end and Zaman, who was heading towards the keeper, slowed down a tad bit seeing that and was run out. ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table Super 12 Updated Live

In both the instances mentioned earlier, there has been an accusation of fake fielding against the concerned players.  Fake fielding is when a fielder distracts or deceives a batter after the striker has received the ball.  In this article, we shall explore what fake fielding means and how many runs are awarded as a penalty to the opposition if a player is found guilty of it.

What is Fake Fielding? How Many Runs Are Awarded as Penalty As Per Law

So what exactly is fake fielding? The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which is the custodian of cricket laws, describes fake fielding as, “deliberate distraction, deception, or obstruction of batsman.” According to law 41.5.1, “it is unfair for any fielder wilfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batsman after the striker has received the ball.” Law 41.5.2 states, “It is for either one of the umpires to decide whether any distraction, deception or obstruction is wilful or not." According to Law 41.5.3, "If either umpire considers that a fielder has engaged in such distraction, deception, or obstruction, he/she shall immediately call and signal Dead ball and inform the other umpire of the reason for the call."

The batting team is awarded a penalty of five runs if a player from the opposition is found guilty of fake fielding by any one of the two umpires present on the ground.

In Kohli's case, he seemingly feigned a throw to the non-striker's end despite not being in contact with the ball, which was actually fielded by Arshdeep Singh and thrown towards Dinesh Karthik. In the 2021 instance, De Kock had reportedly escaped from facing any sort of sanction after a review by match officials revealed that he didn’t violate the law.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2022 08:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).