Twelve seasons have passed and the BBL still produces strange and never-before-seen things on a cricket field.
Melbourne Renegades star Nic Maddinson was called back into the middle at Cazaly Stadium on Thursday night after a third referee review confirmed he had not been dismissed, despite what appeared to be a “scary” moment to suggest that the left had been put in its tracks. .
Maddinson produced a blistering start to his BBL knock against the Brisbane Heat, consistently finding the boundary rope to set the tone for the Renegades at the top of the order.
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But the Renegades captain was left speechless in the middle of the ninth. After playing a medium shot behind square leg off the bowling of Brisbane quick Mark Steketee, Maddinson turned to see the wickets light up and a bail on the ground.
A dazed Maddinson began to walk off the ground before replays showed the batsman’s feet and batting, as well as the ball itself, were nowhere near the stumps when he played the shot. Instead, the bail had mysteriously dislodged on its own.
“Oh, what’s happened there? What’s come out? The bails have just come out,” former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith told Fox Cricket.
“All I can think of is that when his back foot turned and made contact with the ground, he shook the ground. Maybe he wasn’t that stable, because it looked like when he put his back foot closer to the stumps, the bail fell.
“Who knows? Creepy.”
Watching the replays, TV umpire Stephen Dionysius said he was “satisfied the batsman didn’t dislodge the bails” and awarded Maddinson not out.
“I don’t think anything has come out. I think it’s fine,” former Australian all-rounder Brendon Julian told Fox Cricket.
“I’ve never seen that before, especially the moment he just hit the ball.
“That’s amazing. I’ve never seen that.
“Without a doubt, it is a bit of an illusion. But it’s good news for the Renegades because Maddinson is still there.”
Maddinson said of the moment after the match: “I went to play a shot at a slower ball and it was quite deep in the crease.
“The next minute the bail was withdrawn and they celebrated.
“It was a little confusing, but I’m lucky I was able to stay out there.”
Maddinson then linked up with star import Andre Russell to create a huge 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Promoted to first, Maddinson destroyed the Heat bowling attack, hitting the ball cleanly to all parts of the ground.
The 30-year-old particularly took a liking to Brisbane’s Xavier Bartlett, who took out 21 runs in the third over for the innings before smashing 22 runs, including five boundaries, in the 13th over.
Maddinson was dismissed in the 18th over for a BBL career-best 87 off just 49 balls, an innings that included 10 fours and three sixes, as the Renegades ended their 20 overs on 7-166.