Bet payout after Ashes appearance

The running out sparked a row over substitute fielders

A friend of cricketer Gary Pratt has scooped more than £3,000 after betting he would play Test cricket one day.

The Durham player was a substitute fielder for England and ran out Australian captain Ricky Ponting during the Ashes Test.

Neil Stoker, 26, from Crook, County Durham, bet £100 at 33/1 that his school friend would play for England.

He landed a £3,400 windfall after bookmakers William Hill paid out on the bet, which was made in March 2003.

William Hill's spokesman, Graham Sharpe, said: "Strictly speaking we wouldn't have expected to pay out on Neil's bet until Gary Pratt won a cap for starting an England match.

Substitite fielders

"But given the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his unexpected starring role when he ran Ponting out we thought it would be a little churlish not to pay out."

Pratt's running out of Ponting during the fourth Test at Trent Bridge sparked a row over the use of substitute fielders.

He was on the field to replace the injured fielder Simon Jones.

Ponting hit out at England's use of substitutes and was docked 75% of his match fee for an angry outburst after he was run out.