Admitting he panicked, South Africa’s David Bedingham was simply relieved not to have been given out obstructing the field.

Two years after his infamous stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, Alex Carey could have been at the centre of another controversial moment at the home of cricket.

In the final over of the first session of day two on Thursday, Bedingham edged the ball into his pads.

Standing up to the stumps, Carey waited in preparation to claim the catch if the ball spilled out.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey attempts to catch the ball as David Bedingham removes it from his pads. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

But before the Australian wicketkeeper could pounce, Bedingham grabbed the ball out and threw it away.

“I panicked big time,” Bedingham said.

“The umpire said, regardless, I think it was dead ball. 

“But I think the way I dropped the ball, (then) picked up the ball came across a bit dodgy. 

“I’m glad they just withdrew the appeal … I’m glad nothing happened out of it.

“The slip cordon told me don’t panic — but I panicked big-time in the moment.”

Australia’s Ashes nemesis, Stuart Broad, questioned on Amazon Prime commentary whether Carey thought better of appealing after the Bairstow firestorm of 2023.

“I wonder if Alex Carey just said ‘I’m not getting involved’,” Broad said. “The ball never stopped. It was always moving. Carey was pouncing and the Aussies were smiling.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins was unfazed about the incident.

“The umpires said it was dead ball first of all, but I think we probably would have withdrawn,” Cummins said when asked about the prospect of appealing for a dismissal.

The Laws of Cricket state: “The ball becomes dead when whether played or not, it becomes trapped between the bat and the person of a batter or between items of his/her clothing or equipment.”

Carey, and his Australian teammates, were booed and heckled by the usually mild-mannered MCC members back in 2023 when Bairstow was stumped wandering out of his crease on the final of the Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days.

A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998.

Marnus Labuschagne reacts angrily to being dismissed. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)

The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings.

Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord’s.

“Happy we got 200,” Cummins said.

“Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that’d be good.

“That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields.

“Ideally we’d have a few more wickets in the shed.

“We’re going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings.”

with AAP