Melbourne Renegades wicketkeeper Emma Inglis was left to breathe an almighty sigh of relief after her premature celebration almost cost her team victory over Sydney Sixers at the Simonds Stadium on Wednesday.
With Sixer’s Sarah Aley needing three runs off the final ball to seal a win for her side, Inglis collected a throw from Kris Britt and threw the ball into the air in celebration – having failed to remove the bails.
Aley, having already run a single, dashed another to tie the match before the bowler Amy Satterthwaite could make the run-out.
Inglis and her team-mates had assumed the ball was ‘dead’ and the match was over but, after some deliberation, the umpires ruled otherwise to force a deciding Super Over.
Under the Laws of Cricket (section 20.1.1.1), the ball is considered dead “when it is finally settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or of the bowler” but whether it is finally settled or not is “a matter for the umpire alone to decide” (section 20.2).
You can see the video below:
😳 > INSANE! It doesn't get much crazier than this!
Incredibly intelligent cricket from Sarah Aley on the final ball of our innings forces a SUPER OVER against @RenegadesWBBL! 🙈#smashemsixers pic.twitter.com/WG5ofYAMWF
— Sydney Sixers WBBL (@SixersWBBL) January 3, 2018
Jess Duffin then eased Inglis’ embarrassment with a single off the final ball to give Renegades victory by the narrowest of margins.
Renegades skipper Amy Satterthwaite was named the player of the match for her knock of 44 from as many balls and figures of 1/21 from four overs.
Another game, another ‘Player of the Match’ for @AmySatterthwait 👏 #WBBL03 #GETONRED pic.twitter.com/7AfW11Lvky
— Renegades WBBL (@RenegadesWBBL) January 3, 2018