The case of Josh Hazlewood's absent fifth finger

When the Australian cricket team's Facebook page posted a photo of Josh Hazlewood appealing for a wicket at the SCG, fans were left stumped.

The 26-year-old didn't snag Azhar Ali's wicket with the pictured appeal but that wasn't why Facebook users were confused.

It was the image itself, taken by Getty Images photographer Matt King.

Hazlewood does, as it turns out, have the expected number of fingers on his bowling hand.

King's camera simply bent the truth.

"I had no idea until I saw the picture used on Facebook," he told cricket.com.au.

"I thought, 'that's my photo!' but I hadn't noticed any missing finger on Hazlewood before. I went back to the original file and checked it and yeah, the finger was missing. I couldn't work it where it had gone.

"But absolutely no Photoshop was involved, we do not do that."

The photo King chose to upload on the day happened to have both the best expression of the appeal sequence and the fewest fingers, with Hazlewood's hand having turned as he chased the dismissal.

Another Getty photographer, Ryan Pierse, saw the action from another angle and proved no hands had been harmed.