What is bail flip? The trend inspired by Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj was in news for his 20 per cent match fee penalty for clashing with Travis Head. Now, he was involved in another noteworthy incident.

The pacer, who has picked up a solitary wicket in the ongoing third Test against Australia in GABBA, Brisbane, showed his willingness to employ various tactics to unsettle baters. A viral moment captured Siraj approaching Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne's end to adjust the bails.



During the 33rd over on Day 2, Siraj walked towards Labuschagne after delivering a ball and exchanged the positions of the two bails.


Labuschagne responded by reversing the bail positions again once Siraj had returned to his bowling mark after switching the bails.

What is bail flip in cricket?

Teams and players sometimes want to change their luck and believe in some superstitions. A bail flip involves rotating or exchanging the bails atop the stumps. This practice is considered fortunate and is believed to potentially lead to dismissals.

Earlier instances of bail flip

Former England pacer Stuart Broad executed the bail flip during the 2023 Ashes series. At the Oval Test, his bail flip was followed by Marnus Labuschagne's dismissal on the subsequent delivery.


India's star batter Virat Kohli performed this action during the first Test against South Africa in Centurion. He approached the batsman's stumps to switch the bails after the 28th over concluded.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon utilised this technique during the 2019 Ashes. His bail flip preceded the swift dismissals of England's Joe Root and Rory Burns.