Lancashire batter Tom Bailey caused a stir when his mobile phone fell out of his pocket during a County Championship match on Saturday (May 3).
The incident occurred on day two of Lancashire's County Championship Division Two fixture against Gloucestershire at Old Trafford.
Match 37, Lancashire vs Gloucestershire
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Lancashire had elected to bat first on day one and made it to 342-5, Australian Marcus Harris leading the way with an unbeaten 165. He was dismissed early on day two for 167, as Lancashire made it to 401-8.
At the fall of the eighth wicket, Tom Bailey came out to the middle. After playing a dot ball, he tapped his second delivery into the leg side, and managed to come back for two runs as the ball went into the outfield.
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But the commentators on the live stream pointed out that something had fallen out of Bailey's pocket as he reached the non-striker's end, and turned for the second run.
Replays showed that a rectangular object had indeed falling out of Bailey's pocket: it appeared to be his mobile phone. "No way, I've never seen that before," said one of the commentators. "Is that [Gloucestershire's] Ajeet Singh Dale running off with...yes it is Ajeet Singh Dale running off with Tom Bailey's mobile phone!"
What do the Laws say about Tom Bailey carrying a mobile phone?
According to clause 41.5 of the County Championship 2025 Playing Conditions, "With the exception of player movement technology the use of electronic communication devices and equipment of any kind which enables communication between on-field players and anyone not on the field of play shall not be permitted during the scheduled or re-scheduled hours of play."
Whether Bailey was in violation of this clause or not depends on the breadth of "use" – it can be argued that while the device was on his person, he was not "using" the mobile phone. In any case, the device was removed from the field immediately after.
This is not the first time mobile phones have caused confusion on a cricket ground. Legendary umpire Dickie Bird claimed that Allan Lamb once (accidentally) brought a phone onto the pitch before handing it to Bird and asking him to answer in case it rang.
In addition, a 2014 Lancashire League match between Church and Haslingden was held up after 12 iPhones were found missing from the jacket pockets of Haslingden players.
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