Perhaps a mini-diplomatic row was averted with timely intervention from the England and Indian cricket boards on the second day of the England-Haryana warmup game on Friday.
England's regular wicketkeeper Mat Prior was unwell and also vomited a little before the tea break. So during the tea break, England skipper Alastair Cook went to ask the umpires if 12th man Jonny Bairstow could keep wickets as Prior was "seriously unwell".
But as per cricketing rules, the 12th man can't bowl, bat or keep wickets, he can only field. Amiesh Saheba, going by the rule book, disagreed. Cook was then heard telling Saheba that he too knows the rules but at certain times they can also "use some common sense". So Prior was back on the field keeping wickets.
It was later learnt that someone from ECB contacted the BCCI and the Indian board in return contacted the teams and officials in Ahmedabad, asking them to allow Bairstow to keep provided Haryana skipper Amit Mishra agreed.
Mishra readily agreed and Bairstow came out with his pads on. A little later, Stuart Board asked Jonathan Trott, who was fielding on the boundary line, "Where is Prior?" Trott said: "Sleeping."
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