Cricket fans question bizarre dismissal as WBBL hit by fresh controversy: 'Not right'
Amanda-Jade Wellington dismissed Mignon du Preez in strange fashion - but did the umpire get it right?
The WBBL has been hit by more controversy over the legitimacy of a dismissal after Amanda-Jade Wellington ran out Mignon du Preez in bizarre scenes on Sunday night. The Adelaide Strikers handed the Brisbane Heat their first defeat of the WBBL season, winning by 59 runs to go second on the ladder.
But the win didn't come without controversy after du Preez appeared to be wrongly given out. With the Heat at 2-31 in reply to the Strikers' total of 4-148, du Preez was run out at the non-striker's end when a drive from Georgia Voll was hit straight back down the pitch.
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The ball clattered into the stumps at the non-striker's end, knocking off the bails, before rebounding straight to the bowler Wellington. Noticing that du Preez was out of her crease, Wellington showed some remarkable awareness to realise that she had to remove one stump from the ground in order to complete the runout because the bails had fallen off.
You don't see this everyday!
Amanda-Jade Wellington with the cricket smarts to run out Mignon du Preez 🤓 #WBBL09 pic.twitter.com/xZHauAMffJ— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) October 29, 2023
Wellington pulled out the stump closest to her and then touched the ball onto it before du Preez could get back in her ground, with the umpire raising the finger to give du Preez out. But many noticed that Wellington didn't appear to complete the dismissal by the letter of the law because she removed the stump with the opposite hand to the one the ball was in.
Under Law 29 of the MCC's official rules, a runout can still be affected once the bails have come off. The law states: "If both bails are absent then in order to put the wicket down, it is necessary to remove one stump from the ground, using the ball or the hand holding the ball."
Therefore, because Wellington used the hand that didn't contain the ball, du Preez shouldn't have been given out. "After a bit of time looking at the law, very confident this shouldn’t have been out," Scott Bailey of AAP wrote on social media.
"Wellington had to remove stump with hand the ball was in, or use both hands to take it out with the ball in one of them. Very tough ask for umpire who can’t pull out rulebook or replays."
After a bit of time looking at the law, very confident this shouldn’t have been out. Wellington had to remove stump with hand the ball was in, or use both hands to take it out with the ball in one of them.
Very tough ask for umpire who can’t pull out rulebook or replays. #WBBL09 https://t.co/WcziHAebYl pic.twitter.com/3AOgf7I1VO— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) October 29, 2023
Seems another poor umpiring decision
As per Law 29, The Wicket is Broken, shouldn't it have been not out?
Removed the stump with her left hand with the ball in her right - the ball needs to be in the hand/s removal the stump from the ground, not touched to it afterwards pic.twitter.com/z7J1w7CW7I— MJ (@AgentLink99) October 29, 2023
Not the right procedure to achieve the run out. Ball needed to be in the hand that took the stump out of the ground. @julia_price1
— Women's Cricket Blog (@WomensCricBlog) October 29, 2023
I can understand not all fans know the full details of the Laws of the game, they have become more labyrinthine over the years (and some recent changes a bit daft) , but umpires really should.
— Don Miles (@DonMiles13) October 29, 2023
Adelaide Strikers end Brisbane Heat's unbeaten start
The dismissal proved a crucial one for the Strikers, with Wellington getting Voll caught-and-bowled for 15 the very next ball. The spinner claimed 3-14, taking the key wicket of Jess Jonassen later in her spell for 22.
Brisbane were eventually bowled out for just 89 in 16 overs, ending their run of four straight wins to start the season. Wellington's efforts with the ball came after Bridget Patterson once again hurt the Heat with the bat.
Patterson was the hero of Adelaide's finals win over the Heat last summer, and struck 70 off 53 balls to help rescue the Strikers from 3-47 after 10 overs on Sunday night. Patterson hit seven boundaries and two sixes, including a massive hit off Sarah Glenn back over the spinner's head.
Elsewhere on Sunday, the Melbourne Stars got their season back on track with a seven-run over Perth Scorchers. Annabel Sutherland smashed 49 off 27 to help her side make 7-154, before taking 2-31 with the ball - including the key wicket of Perth's top-scorer Maddy Darke.
with AAP
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