Mayank Agarwal fielding on his knees against NZ is 'certainly not unfair': MCC

Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal decided to field on his knees at gully during the 1st Test between India and New Zealand. The pitch at Kanpur was one where the ball kept low and the edges from the blades of the batsmen were not carrying.

And, to counter this, Agarwal went down on his knees. And now, the Laws of Cricket Advisor of the MCC, Jonny Singer said that no law in the sport prevents a fielder from fielding on his knees. Adding that this gesture of fielding on the knees has become common in modern-day cricket, Singer said that adopting this position is not ‘unfair’.

“There is nothing in the laws to prevent a fielder fielding on his/her knees. In fact, this has become relatively common in recent years. Adopting a position on the knees, and maintaining it, is certainly not unfair,” said Singer as quoted by the mid-day.

When would fielding on the knees become a breach of the law?

Now, the next question that might arise is, is it always lawful for a fielder to field on his knees? Well, Singer has an answer to that as well. He said that if a fielder changes his position i.e if he kneels down after the ball has been bowled, then it will be considered as a breach of the law. And, this decision will rest with the on-field umpire.

“If the fielder gets up or kneels down after the ball has come into play, then that might be considered to be a breach of Law 28.6.1. That would be for the umpire to decide,” concluded Singer.

The 1st Test match between India and New Zealand ended in a draw. Shreyas Iyer won the Player of the Match award for scoring a century and a half-century in the Test match. The second and final rubber of the series will commence on 3rd December 2021 and will be played in Mumbai.