Trescothick confirms his place on list of Test 'freaks'

England's Marcus Trescothick must have felt a sense of dejected deja-vu on Friday as he fell victim to a freakish dismissal in the third Ashes Test.

England were on 57 without loss in their second innings, 55 ahead and apparently in the ascendancy for the first time in the series, when the left-handed opener, on 31, swept powerfully at a delivery from leg-spinner Shane Warne.

He appeared to do everything right, rolling his wrists over the ball as Matthew Hayden turned away to protect himself at short leg.

The ball, however, hit the back of Hayden's ankle and popped up, allowing wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist to dive forward from behind the stumps and scoop up the catch.

Trescothick was only given out after the third umpire had been consulted at Trent Bridge.

The dismissal, arguably a pivotal moment in the match, prompted some jeers from the Trent Bridge crowd as television replays appeared to show that Warne, to compound matters, had bowled a no-ball to take the wicket, a matter outside the third umpire's jurisdiction.

Several of England's batsmen must have ended the day feeling morose as the side, already 2-0 down in the five-match series, collapsed from 115 for two to 144 for six. Trescothick, though, had particular cause.

He was dismissed in similar fashion just over four months previously in the third Test in Sri Lanka in Colombo in March.

Having made 23, he had swept a ball from slow left-armer Dinuka Hettiarachchi and the ball lodged into Russel Arnold's shirt, also fielding close in on the leg side, as he tried to get out of the way.

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List of other unusual Test dismissals:

Australian Samuel Jones was run out by W.G. Grace in a 1882 Test at The Oval as he went to examine the pitch after completing a run. The incident was said to have so enraged Frederick Spofforth that he took seven for 44 to help Australia to their first Test win in England.

South African Johan Zulch was given out hit wicket after part of his bat was broken off by a ball from Edgar McDonald and fell on his stumps in the second Test against Australia in 1921-22.

South African William Brann was given not out for a catch at the wicket against England in Cape Town in 1922-23 only to be given out when George Macaulay repeated the appeal for lbw.

West Indian Joseph Solomon was adjudged hit wicket when his cap fell off, dislodging the bails against Australia at Melbourne in 1960-01.

Australian Andrew Hilditch, batting against Pakistan in Perth in 1978-79, picked up the ball and handed it to bowler Sarfraz Nawaz, who then appealed. The umpire was forced to give Hilditch out handled the ball.

Dean Jones of Australia was bowled by a Courtney Walsh no-ball at Georgetown in 1990-91 but did not hear the call. He began walking off and Carl Hooper then ran him out. The umpire should have called Jones back, as a change of law in 1980 allowed for batsmen to be reprieved if they had left the ground because of a misapprehension.

Mail Cricket Editor