Root explains 'bizarre' act of Blast sportsmanship

An act of sportsmanship by county side Yorkshire has divided opinion, with two former England batters split over the contentious moment in a T20 Blast match at Old Trafford.

The clash between Lancashire and Yorkshire - led by England Test captain Joe Root - was coming down to the wire when Lancashire batter Steven Croft stumbled and fell while attempting a single and was laying on the ground in the middle of the pitch as the ball was returned to the Yorkshire wicketkeeper.

With Croft clutching his leg in pain, Yorkshire opted not to complete the run out and the umpires declared a dead ball.

Croft's injury turned out to be cramp and he was able to continue his innings, scoring a crucial 26 not out as Lancashire won by four wickets with an over to spare to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.

Root, Yorkshire's captain, conceded many teams and players would have opted to run Croft out had they been in a similar situation.

Scorecard: Lancashire v Yorkshire

"As a side we made a very difficult decision under pressure," he said.

"(Croft’s injury) looked very serious at first glance. In many ways it was a relief it was nothing serious.

"I am sure there will be many different opinions. Many people would have handled it differently."

Croft praised Yorkshire's decision, adding the warm summer weather had got the better of him.

"Two games in two days at 36 (years old) and a bit of sun has done me," he said.

"I put the brakes on, they worked, and my legs just cramped up. I didn't know where the ball had gone.

"They could have taken the bails off and credit to them that they didn't."

Yorkshire's decision not to complete what would have been a simple run out divided opinion, both on social media and in the commentary box.

Former England batter Mark Butcher said Yorkshire should have run Croft out, adding he "found the whole thing completely bizarre".

"I can't believe what I've just seen there, frankly, as a professional sportsman," he told Sky Sports.

"I'm baffled by that, I really am. Croft changed his mind halfway through the run and decided to put the anchors on. And because of that, whether or not he's got full spikes on, he slipped.

"It's not up to Yorkshire to decide if he's got a problem or he's broken his leg or his leg's fallen off. Run him out and deal with it afterwards.

"I found the whole thing completely bizarre."

Butcher's co-commentator and his former England teammate, Rob Key, disagreed and likened the incident to footballers kicking the ball out of play when an opponent is injured.

"When he went down, you don't know if he had cramp," Key said.

"All you see is him rolling around on the ground and he can't continue, he can't even try and get back in.

"It's one of those things where people will agree and disagree with and have their point of view."