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Adelaide Strikers captain Matt Short has slammed the ‘ridiculous’ decision by the on-field umpires to help the Hobart Hurricanes avoid a no-ball for a fielding restriction breach in the last over of Friday night’s BBL clash.
The Hurricanes were two overs behind when the innings clock, introduced before the 2022-23 season, ticked past the 79 minutes allotted, which meant they were restricted to a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the 20th over of the Strikers’ run chase at Adelaide Oval.
Hard-hitting Englishman Jamie Overton was on strike for Adelaide and demonstrated his displeasure in animated fashion at umpire Sharad Patel, who twice reminded Hobart captain Nathan Ellis to bring in one of his five boundary riders.
If the umpire hadn’t intervened and Ellis still had five fielders out, the ‘Canes would have been penalised with a no-ball and Overton would have had a free hit off the next ball, plus six more deliveries still to come.
“That’s a bit ridiculous if the umpire is stepping in trying to set the field,” Short said following his side’s 11-run loss.
“I thought Jamie was the one going to the umpire saying they’ve only got four (fielders) out.
“But if it was the umpire, then I think that’s ridiculous.”
The Strikers required an unlikely, but not mathematically impossible, 31 to win off the final over bowled by Hobart paceman Riley Meredith.
Overton still managed to club 19, but it wasn’t enough to reel in the Hurricanes’ imposing 5-214, the highest total by any team this season.
“If it was (up to) Jamie, he’d just be saying keep the five out and get the no-ball,” Short said.
“The captain is there to set the field, not the umpires.
“I’m sure they would have told Nathan Ellis you can only have four out.
“I think the bowler and ‘Nelly’ (Ellis) knew you could only have four out, but they still had five.
“I’m not sure why the umpire was changing the field.”
Hobart wicketkeeper-batter Ben McDermott, adjudged player of the match for his unbeaten 68, was behind Overton when the drama unfolded, but he was more concerned about avoiding a last-over disaster.
“I’m not really sure what happened there, but I think he (Overton) was disgruntled that we were getting told that we needed another fielder in,” he said.
“I don’t really know, so it’s hard to say.
“I just wanted to close out the over and get the win.”
The result leaves the Hurricanes knocking on the door of the BBL top four after defeating the Strikers by 11 runs.
After McDermott’s unbeaten 68 launched the Hurricanes to an imposing 5-214 at Adelaide Oval on Friday night, the Strikers sprinted out of the blocks before falling short at 6-203 thanks to some superb fielding and bowling from the visitors down the stretch.
The victory catapulted the Hurricanes past the Strikers and Sydney Thunder into fifth position.
Hobart’s score was the only 200-plus total by any team this season and the fourth-highest in the team’s history – three of them coming in Adelaide.
McDermott broke his bat after hitting his second six, before applying tape over the crack and clubbing three more maximums in a whirlwind 34-ball knock.
Last weekend’s centurion Mitchell Owen (8) succumbed in the first over, before opening partner Caleb Jewell (22) followed.
West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope impressed with 37 before being rushed by an Overton bumper, which he mis-hit to backward point where a backtracking Lloyd Pope pouched a superb diving catch.
Tim David crunched a quickfire 33 in a 54-run stand with McDermott as the ‘Canes thumped 88 off the last six overs.
Overton (2-27) was the Strikers’ clear standout with the ball.
Captain Short (52), D’Arcy Short (41), Ollie Pope (39) and Overton (30no) led the way for the Strikers, who crunched 105 off the first nine overs but couldn’t quite keep up with the difficult asking rate.
The two Shorts put on a blistering 76 for the first wicket before D’Arcy holed out, and Chris Lynn (19) followed.
Matt Short raised his 14th BBL half-century with a monster six off Billy Stanlake before falling to a remarkable catch by opposite number Nathan Ellis, who backpedalled from extra cover and juggled a remarkable catch that bobbled off his chest as he was tumbling.
After Alex Ross (8) fell to a wonderful flying catch from a horizontal Tim David, Ollie Pope tamely reverse-ramped fellow Englishman Chris Jordan to Stanlake, before Overton’s 20th-over fireworks against Riley Meredith lessened some of the run-rate damage.
© AAP
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