ENGLAND cricket fans are trying to work out if they can smuggle tennis umpire Nico Helwerth into the Ashes squad.
The Barmy Army have seen their heroes drop a whopping 14 catches in the thrill-a-minute series with Australia.
Nico Helwerth took a fine catch from his chair on Centre Court
The German kept his cool in front of 15,000 fans
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And with those missed opportunities set to cost Ben Stokes’ side the urn this summer, supporters want to hitch a plan to sneak Helworth up to Headingley or Old Trafford.
The German showed he could do a job in the slip cordon after nailing a one-handed catch from his chair.
A stray ball cannoned off Carlos Alcaraz’s racquet in just the second game of the Spaniard’s four-set win over Nicolas Jarry on Centre Court.
And Helwerth stuck out a hand to grab hold of it superbly – to the delight of the 15,000 inside the stadium.
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Now following some howlers by the England fielders during the Ashes, a few are keen to get the chair umpire in somehow.
One said: “14 catches @englandcricket have dropped already this summer I believe…can we get this guy in the team for the fourth Test?”
Another wrote: “Is he English? If yes does he fancy pulling on some whites and helping the cricket lads out.”
A third added: “Hope Jonny Bairstow was watching!!”
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And a final user asked: “Can he play wicketkeeper?”
Later on in the same match at Wimbledon, British hockey player Brendan Creed held on to a tennis ball that landed in the Royal Box.
And another official took a superb catch as Tommy Paul beat Milos Raonic.
However, while chair umpires are likely to be a permanent fixture at the Championships, line judges could soon be a thing of the past.
Wimbledon chiefs admitted they are open to exploring new AI robot technology, such as the Hawk Eye live system that makes immediate decisions on any close line calls.
Helwerth refused to let out a smile despite the stunner
England’s cricketers have dropped a few crucial catches in the Ashes
Brendan Creed held on to a ball that flew into the Royal Box
