Cricket, the gentlemen’s game, sometimes becomes so funny that you can’t help but roll on the floor laughing. In one of the funniest incidents that ever happened on a cricket pitch, the TV umpire said not out to an LBW review but the ground umpire mistakenly signalled it out. And this didn’t happen in a domestic competition but in an international game. It was the second ODI of the three-match series between South Africa and Australia Women at North Sydney Oval.
It was an LBW appeal from Australia against Sune Luus on the bowling of Ashleigh Gardner. Ground umpire Claire Polosak gave it not out initially before Australia went upstairs. TV umpire Sue Redfern found out that the ball was pitched outside off stump and the impact was also well outside it.
“Pitching outside off, impact outside. Back to Claire on field, please. Stay with not out. Stand by. Signal not out now,” said the TV umpire. During this the camera re-focused on ground umpire Claire, who mistakenly raised her finger to give it out. She soon realised her mistake and changed her signal.
Talking about the game, Kapp displayed a stellar performance to power South Africa’s women to clinch their maiden ODI win over Australia in Sydney on Wednesday and kept them alive in the 50-over series.
Kapp’s 75-run knock from 87 balls was the main talking point of South Africa’s batting performance. Apart from Kapp, Anneke Bosch’s (44 runs from 46 balls) and Chloe Tryon’s (37 runs from 36 balls) blitz helped the Proteas to put 229/6 on the scoreboard.
Australia had a perfect start to the game by dismissing Laura Wolvaardt for a duck and Tazmin Brits for 21 runs off 41 balls. The visitors were cautious during the powerplay and reached 32 for 1 after the end 10th over.
Kapp, however, found de Klerk and Tryon to make partnerships and slammed her half-century from 62 balls.
Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner led the Aussie bowling attack after they scalped two wickets each in their respective spells.
Rain played a spoilsport in the game after the start of the second inning. Kapp shined with the ball as well and helped the visitors to dominate over the hosts. In the run chase, Australia’s batting was blown away in a manner rarely seen as they sank to 71/8 in the 14th over.
Kapp dismissed Alyssa Healy after she was dismissed by being caught behind and removed Beth Mooney after delivering an inswinger. The South African all-rounder then trapped Phoebe Litchfield and left the Aussies 34/3.
Ellyse Perry came at number 5 and failed to make a mark as she scored only 2 runs before giving debutant Ayanda Hlubi her first ODI wicket. The Proteas bowling attack cut through the middle order.
Gardner and Kim Garth stopped Australia’s collapse for a while and made a solid ninth-wicket partnership. But it did not last for very long as Marx removed Gardner 29th over.
After March 2009, Australia lost a home ODI match while chasing.
Apart from Kapp’s three-wicket haul, Hlubi, Marx, and Klerk bagged two wickets in their respective spells and bundled the Aussies at 149 in the 30th over.
