A wicketkeeper turned down the chance to stump a slow-scoring batsman to keep him at the crease in a T20 match — only for the batsman’s team to then retire him after the next ball.

Middlesex’s Max Holden was at the centre of the controversy while playing in the ILT20 competition held in the United Arab Emirates for Desert Vipers against MI Emirates. Batting first after losing the toss in Abu Dhabi, the Vipers had started the 16th over on 110 for one, with Holden and the England all-rounder Sam Curran at the crease, but the run rate was slowing, with only 20 scored from the previous four overs.

Holden, on 42 from 35 balls, charged down the pitch to Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan leg spinner, but missed the ball and was so far down the track that he did not even attempt to get back into his crease. However, Nicholas Pooran, the West Indian wicketkeeper for MI Emirates, decided it would be better for his team to keep the struggling batsman in the middle, so did not remove the bails and declined to complete the stumping — allowing a confused Holden time to get back into his crease. The ball was called a wide by the umpire, but stumpings are allowed off wide deliveries.

The next ball from Rashid drew an attempted swipe by Holden, but again no run, and the Vipers team management then called the 27-year-old Englishman towards the dugout, retiring him out in order to get Shimron Hetmyer into the middle.

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It proved to be a wise, if unusual, decision by the Vipers as Hetmyer went on to strike 15 from nine balls and then Dan Lawrence, who came in after Curran was dismissed for 19, struck a quickfire 15 of his own. This helped the Vipers score 41 from their final four overs and they finished their innings on 159 for four.

In response, MI Emirates, whose team includes Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton and Chris Woakes, could only get to 158 for nine, giving the Vipers a tense one-run win and keeping them top of the table.

Holden, a former England Under-19 captain, has a strike rate of 140.64 in T20s — higher than his 113.51 in this innings — and has also represented Trent Rockets in the Hundred. He scored a run-a-ball century for England Lions against India A at Canterbury this summer.