Bail fail: Manufacturer defends under-fire Zings

The manufacturer of Zing bails admits he's "stumped" by the spate of non-dismissals at this year's World Cup but insists his product can't solely be blamed.

Five separate batsmen have survived the ball clattering into their stumps at the tournament, prompting captains Aaron Finch and Virat Kohli to question the place of the Zing bails in game.

David Warner became the latest to not have his bails removed against India on Sunday, despite the ball firmly hitting the bottom half of the stumps after rebounding off his bat and foot.

A total of 35 players have been bowled in this year's World Cup, meaning one in eight times the bails have not been properly dislodged.

The weight of the Zing product has largely been blamed by critics, despite the ICC claiming they are no heavier than the traditional wooden ones used in strong winds.

And the director of the Adelaide-based Zing, David Ligertwood, said there were a number of other factors likely at play.

"This issue isn't all about the weight of the bails, as a complicated interdependent range of factors come into play," he said.

"The bails, stumps, stump grooves depth and shape, pitch conditions, stump cam etc. all affect it.

"Testing shows the bail's weight isn't necessarily the most significant factor."

The ICC said the Zing bails would remain in place for the rest of the tournament.

“We wouldn’t change anything mid-event, as it would compromise the integrity of the event – the equipment is the same for all 10 teams across all 48 games,” the ICC said in a statement.

“The stumps have not changed in the last four years. They have been used in all ICC events since the 2015 Men’s Cricket World Cup, and in a range of domestic events.

“This means they’ve been used in more than 1000 games – this is a statistical anomaly.

“This issue has always been part of the game, with the accepted concept being that it requires some force to disturb a batsman’s ‘castle’.”

Zing have also been used in both the Big Bash and Indian Premier League for a number of years, with small modifications made only a few years ago to make the removal of them easier.

The company points towards the benefit they have provided the game, namely giving the third umpire the ability to see the exact point bails have been dislodged for run outs and stumpings.

Ligertwood also highlighted a number of incidents where traditional wooden bails hadn't fallen from the stumps upon a batsman appearing to be bowled.

"This issue has always been part of the game, with the accepted concept being that it requires some force to disturb a batsman's 'castle'," Ligterwood said.

"The Zing wicket system has operated in well over a thousand games and this issue has not happened frequently.

"This recent cluster currently has us stumped!

"Zing is currently monitoring the situation, while reviewing all aspects and at the same time looking into whether there are some practical modifications that can be made in the future to make the bails come off easier."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets

June 6: Australia beat West Indies by 15 runs

June 9: Australia lost to India by 36 runs

June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton

June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

Sync Australia's World Cup schedule to your calendar HERE

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE