Adelaide Test: Few minute's shortage prevented David Warner from opening 3rd Test for Australia

David Warner was found short of time spent on field and hence wasn't eligible to open for Australia.

New Delhi: During 1st day of play of 3rd Test between Australia ans South Africa, David Warner had to go off the field to nurse a shoulder injury in last session of play.

While Faf du Plesis (118 not out) and number 11 batsman Tabraiz Shamsi (18 not out on debut) were on crease, David Warner came on and was informed by on-field umpire that he will need to stay on field for 6 more minutes before he is allowed to open Australia's innings with the bat.

Du Plesis, apparently, overheared the conversation and decided to pull off a trick from his captain's hat. The Proteas skipper, right then, declared innings leaving the Aussies shell-shocked as power-hitter Warner became ineligible to open since he had not spent the required time on field.

"I listened to the conversation he had with the umpires," du Plessis later revealed as reported by The AGE. "I heard he had six minutes left before he could bat again so I thought let's have a crack.

"It was just for me to try and take them a little bit out of their comfort zone."

Here's what ICC rulebook has to say on the incident:-

It comes from the ICC Test Match playing conditions - specifically rule 2.2:

"If a fielder fails to take the field with his side at the start of the match or at any later time, or leaves the field during a session of play, the umpire shall be informed of the reason for his absence, and he shall not thereafter come on to the field during a session of play without the consent of the umpire. (See Law 2.6 as modified). The umpire shall give such consent as soon as practicable. If the player is absent from the field for longer than 8 minutes:|

2.2.1 the player shall not be permitted to bowl in that innings after his return until he has been on the field for at least that length of playing time for which he was absent. Such absence or penalty time absent shall be carried over into a new day's play and in the event of a follow-on or forfeiture, this restriction will, if necessary, continue into the second innings.

2.2.2 the player shall not be permitted to bat unless or until, in the aggregate, he has returned to the field and/or his side's innings has been in progress for at least that length of playing time for which he has been absent or, if earlier, when his side has lost five wickets."

The last time, this rule was implemented was in 2005 (third Ashes Test), again involving the Aussies, when Australia's Michael Clarke wasn't allowed to bat until No. 8 because of his extent of absence following a back injury

Coming out to bat at No. 3 on Day 2, Warner was dismissed on 11 by Kyle Abbott.