'Umpire said to me if it was zing bails, it would have been given out' - Stuart Broad on Steve Smith's run-out controversy in Ashes

Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad has finally reacted to ace Australia batter Steve Smith's run-out controversy on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval in London. Ben Stokes and Co. managed to bundle out Australia for 295 with Chris Woakes claiming a three-wicket haul. Earlier, the hosts posted 283 runs in the opening innings after being asked to bat first.

The incident occurred in the 78th over on Day 2 when Smith was at 42 runs. The 34-year-old hit the ball towards George Ealham, who picked it up from deep midwicket and sent it back to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Initially, Smith was given out, however, umpire Nitin Menon stated that Smith was in his crease until the bails were completely dislodged.

Broad said that umpire Kumar Dharmasena told him that if zing bails would have been used for the Ashes, Smith would not have been given not out. 

"I honestly don't know the rules. I think there was enough grey area to give that not out. It looked like the benefit of the doubt sort of stuff, first angle I saw I thought out, and then the side angle it looked like the bails probably dislodged. Kumar said to me if it was zing bails it would been given out, I don't really understand the reasoning why," Broad was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. 

As per the laws, the bail has to be completely removed. "The wicket is broken when at least one bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or one or more stumps is removed from the ground," Law 29.1 read.

Tom Smith's Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, MCC's Official Interpretation of the Laws of Cricket, said that: "For the purposes of dismissal - a bail has been removed at the moment that both ends of it leave their grooves."

When I looked at it the second time, looked like Jonny might have knocked the bail before the ball had come: Smith

Steve Smith stated that he saw the bail come up in the initial replay and that the second time it appeared as if Jonny Bairstow had knocked the bail before the ball came.

"I saw the initial replay and saw the bail come up, and when I looked at it the second time looked like Jonny might have knocked the bail before the ball had come. Looked pretty close at that stage, if the ball had hit at the initial stage when the bail came then think I was well out of my ground," Smith said.

Smith also confessed that he was caught off guard by Ealham's quick work, describing him as "very quick." 

"I know now that he's very quick. The next one we hit out there when it was a similar push for two, I was like, gee, this guy's tearing around the boundary, he's coming at pace. Had I known that previously I might have just stayed there for the single," the 34-year-old added.