Why is there not a counterpart to Law 25A for unintended plays?
I have been wondering this for a while. I can think of a few reasons, but I wondered if there were more, and which are the most important.
The three I have come up with are:
1) The physical act of selecting a card is far less likely to go wrong than that of selecting a call (mechanical error with bidding box or slip of the tongue)
2) A withdrawn unintended bid gives no information away, whereas a withdrawn unintended play would (and for defenders there would be UI)
3) The ability to withdraw a play could be more easily abused
I note that a "slip of the tongue" error leading to an unintended card from dummy can be corrected: Law 45C4(b).
Comments
The most obvious reason to me is your number 2. An unintended play tells the other 2 players one of the cards in your hand. An unintended bid tells the other 3 players exactly zero (apart from something about your lack of manual dexterity)