Ellyse Perry at centre of bizarre umpire incident in WBBL opener

Ellyse Perry was involved in bizarre scenes in the WWBL on Thursday night during the Sydney Sixers' thrilling final-over victory over Brisbane Heat.

Perry made an early statement in her bid to win back a spot in Australia's T20 side, starring with bat and ball in the Sixers' tournament-opening win.

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Chasing the Heat's target of 8-141, Perry hit 55 from 48 balls to help the Sixers claim victory with one ball and four wickets to spare in Mackay on Thursday night.

The all-rounder also took 2-27 from her four overs with the ball, appearing to bowl with more control than in previous summers on return from a back injury.

But the 31-year-old was also involved in a strange incident in the field when she took a regulation catch to dismiss Mikayla Hinkley.

The Sixers were rushing through the final few overs in a bid to prevent falling foul of the over rate, however the tactic brought them undone in bizarre scenes.

After Hinkley hit a full-toss straight to Perry at cover, the all-rounder tossed the ball straight back to the bowler and didn't even celebrate - a tactic designed to keep the game moving and not cause any delays.

But because the Sixers players didn't celebrate, the umpire appeared to think Perry must have dropped the catch and didn't immediately give Hinkley out.

Perry lunged forward to take the catch before rolling over, with the umpire losing sight of the ball.

The Sixers eventually appealed when Hinkley didn't walk off the field, forcing the umpire to use the third umpire to confirm the dismissal.

Replays showed Perry had clearly taken the catch, but the game and over rate ended up being delayed anyway due to the use of the third umpire.

“The issue is the umpires weren’t sure. Because the Sixers are behind time, they’re just trying to rush through," Lisa Sthalekar said in commentary for Channel 7.

Jason Richardson added: “Because they’re behind time, they quickly took the catch and got back to their mark. Mikayla Hinkley went to walk off and went, ‘Hang on’."

Scott Bailey of AAP tweeted: "Cricket is the dumbest sport sometimes. Sixers don't celebrate a clear catch because they are running behind on overs. Umpires don't give it out because no appeal. Confusion ensures. Time wasted. Randomly referred upstairs. More time wasted. Finally given out."

Others were also left baffled by the bizarre scenes.

Sixers captain Alyssa Healy later revealed that the umpire wasn't sure whether Perry had actually taken the catch.

“Nah apparently it wasn’t that,” she said when asked if the confusion was sparked by the fact the Sixers didn't appeal.

“She was unsighted when 'Pez' rolled, so she wasn’t sure she claimed it. But we made sure we appeal, just in case.”

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Perry shared a 93-run fourth-wicket stand with Erin Burns, who notched up 50 from 37 balls.

The Sixers stalled when the pair both fell, before Maitlan Brown saved the Sixers' night with a first-ball six off Georgia Voll when Sydney required five off the final two balls.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Brown said.

"I was coming down the pitch before she even released it ... and it paid off."

Perry hasn't played a T20 international for Australia since last October, having missed out on selection in the shortest format during last summer's Ashes and the Commonwealth Games.

However the retirement of Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning's personal leave have opened the door for a possible return, with several players vying for the top-order spots.

with AAP

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