Controversy erupts over 'disrespectful' act in Aussie cricket drama
There were bizarre scenes in the Sheffield Shield on Thursday when Jake Weatherald sparked an angry response from Queensland players when he kicked away a helmet placed near the batting crease.
Weatherald was at the crease for South Australia in their clash with Queensland at Karen Rolton Oval when the controversy erupted.
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After a change of ends in which Weatherald had a chat with opening partner Henry Hunt, the Redbacks batter noticed a Queensland helmet on the ground near his batting crease.
One of the Queensland fielders had seemingly put the helmet there for a teammate to wear in the upcoming over.
But Weatherald didn't seem happy about how close the helmet was placed to the batting crease and angrily kicked it away towards square leg.
Queensland captain Usman Khawaja didn't take kindly to Weatherald's actions, confronting his rival and sharing some heated words.
Umpires were then forced to step in and have a word with Weatherald before play resumed.
Fans were divided about the incident on social media, with some slamming Weatherald and others questioning why Queensland had put the helmet there in the first place.
I can't decide whether I love or hate this lol@delmastro32 @Tdip10 @WegenerDamian @barks_6 @wattsy_star @ajoll_22
— Brendan (@Brendan0109) November 25, 2021
Australian the most who are disrespectful in cricket now a days both onfield and offfield
— M Zeeshan Siddiqui (@MZeeshanSid) November 25, 2021
😂😂😂 WTF
— Nugget (@chrisoconnor35) November 25, 2021
Tsk tsk, speak to the Umpires - don't touch anything that's not yours, also er yeah you could break your foot that way...
— Marcus Van - BLM (@PolarVan) November 25, 2021
Who was the bright Qld'er who put a helmet on the pitch?
Would of kicked it away as well.— Drew (@DrewFromPerth) November 25, 2021
His team is in deep trouble following on. Maybe he should concentrate on scoring some runs.
— Chris Ramsay (@cramsay1976) November 25, 2021
Fair enough from Weatherald. QLD could've put the helmet anywhere but chose the one place the batter stands and takes guard.
— Nathan Dowd (@NathanJDowd) November 25, 2021
Queensland well on top of South Australia in Shield
Earlier, Khawaja put state before country with a selfless decision which could gift rival Travis Head the inside running for an Ashes berth.
Khawaja elected to enforce the follow-on for Head's South Australia on day three of the game in Adelaide.
The decision risks robbing Khawaja of another innings in the match while ensuring Head bats again in a fixture crucial to the Test ambitions of both players.
The two batters are vying for Australia's No.5 batting spot in the first Test against England starting on December 8.
After Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with 110 in Queensland's first innings of 299, the Redbacks crashed to 102 all out.
But instead of opting to bat again, thereby giving himself another chance to stake his Test claims, Khawaja made SA follow-on when 197 runs in arrears.
The Redbacks were 4-87 at lunch on Thursday with Head at the crease and Bulls paceman Gurinder Sandhu taking all four wickets.
Ashes outsider Alex Carey was dismissed for three when caught at bat-pad, but replays showed the ball missed his bat and struck only his thigh pad.
In South Australia's first dig, Bulls spinner Matt Kuhnemann collected career-best innings bowling figures, taking 5-25 from 14 overs to better his 5-60 against Tasmania in Townsville a month ago.
The 25-year-old left-arm tweaker, in just his eighth first-class game, claimed the prized scalps of Head (eight) and Carey (two) on Wednesday.
Head's first-innings failure followed Khawaja making just four in Queensland's first innings.
with AAP
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