Revealed: Is Alex Carey's catch the grab of the summer or was it illegal?

It will go down as one of the catches of the summer. Alex Carey's magnificent juggling snare while standing up to the stumps to Michael Neser during Australia's emphatic second Test victory over the West Indies in Adelaide was widely celebrated as a brilliant piece of wicket-keeping.

But was it legal? Fans around the cricketing world were asking whether the catch should have stood given the ball hit Carey's helmet grill before he used it as a cradle against his neck after a nick from Windies' lower-order batsman Roston Chase.

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We asked former top international umpire Simon Taufel, who sits on the MCC Laws sub-committee, whether players are permitted to use protective equipment to assist in catches. He told Yahoo Sport Australia: "The answer is it would not have been out under the old law.

"It was changed in 2017 (due to safety concerns). We didn’t want a law to discourage any fielder (and keeper) from wearing a protective helmet (promoting safety) by not being able to effect a dismissal (catch, run out or stumping). We recognised the trend where most forms of games around the world legislated for keepers standing up and close in fielders (especially juniors) to wear protective helmets."

The MCC's world cricket committee, which at the time of the law change featured Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Sourav Ganguly, dismissed claims the legislation change would put batters at a disadvantage. In a statement from 2017, it said: "It is felt that balls rebounding off a fielder's helmet could equally help or hinder the fielding side and so the suggestion that rebounds off the helmet make catches easier should be disregarded."

Alex Carey's stunning catch completely legal

Australia opener Usman Khawaja later tweeted his dislike for the new regulation, declaring it should apply to wicket-keepers only and not close-in fielders. Carey's sensational catch was replayed countless times, emphasising its brilliance with every showing.

Former Kiwi wicket-keeper Ian Smith left Fox Cricket viewers in no doubt what he thought of the grab. He declared: "Alex Carey – with a little bit of luck involved – takes an absolute screamer.

"That is a wonderfully thought-out dismissal, and wonderfully executed. There's only a very small club that know how good that is and they are wicket-keepers in pressure situations. I promise you that is outstanding. That is a really top draw piece of cricket."

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