The flying bat and the baffling fine
ESPNcricinfo presents Plays of the Day from the CB Series ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka in Melbourne
Brydon Coverdale at the MCG
02-Mar-2012
Matthew Wade was fortunate he wasn't taken out by Kumar Sangakkara's errant bat • Getty Images
The run-out that wasn't
The throw came in, the wicketkeeper whipped the bails off, the umpire raised his finger and Dinesh Chandimal began to walk off the field. But there was more to what looked like a straightforward run-out than first met the eye. Lahiru Thirimanne's cut was collected at deep point by Ben Hilfenhaus, who slid and relayed the ball to David Warner, who in turn sent it on to Matthew Wade to catch Chandimal short. But replays showed Hilfenhaus' heel had touched the boundary while he had the ball in his hand. That message was relayed to the on-field umpires and it was a reprieve for Chandimal, and a boundary for Sri Lanka.
The throw came in, the wicketkeeper whipped the bails off, the umpire raised his finger and Dinesh Chandimal began to walk off the field. But there was more to what looked like a straightforward run-out than first met the eye. Lahiru Thirimanne's cut was collected at deep point by Ben Hilfenhaus, who slid and relayed the ball to David Warner, who in turn sent it on to Matthew Wade to catch Chandimal short. But replays showed Hilfenhaus' heel had touched the boundary while he had the ball in his hand. That message was relayed to the on-field umpires and it was a reprieve for Chandimal, and a boundary for Sri Lanka.
The catch
The old catch it on the rope, toss it back into play, fall over the boundary and step back in to catch it again. It's a routine that had hardly been considered, let alone seen on a cricket field a few years ago. Now it's so common that such catches are almost passé. Almost, but not quite. Michael Hussey's catch to get rid of Thisara Perera was perhaps not as spectacular as some other such takes, but any man who thinks fast enough and is good enough to pull off such a catch in the deep deserves praise. It's a catch that requires awareness, skill and dexterity, all of which Hussey possesses in abundance.
The old catch it on the rope, toss it back into play, fall over the boundary and step back in to catch it again. It's a routine that had hardly been considered, let alone seen on a cricket field a few years ago. Now it's so common that such catches are almost passé. Almost, but not quite. Michael Hussey's catch to get rid of Thisara Perera was perhaps not as spectacular as some other such takes, but any man who thinks fast enough and is good enough to pull off such a catch in the deep deserves praise. It's a catch that requires awareness, skill and dexterity, all of which Hussey possesses in abundance.
The fortunate finger
The Hussey catch was the first of Daniel Christian's three hat-trick wickets. The second was an lbw that was close, but according to Eagle Eye, out. The third was not. Whether the umpire Rod Tucker got caught up in the moment or whether he simply misjudged how far the ball was moving towards the leg side, Nuwan Kulasekara was unlucky to be given out lbw and Christian was fortunate to become the fourth man to take an ODI hat-trick for Australia. Replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps.
The Hussey catch was the first of Daniel Christian's three hat-trick wickets. The second was an lbw that was close, but according to Eagle Eye, out. The third was not. Whether the umpire Rod Tucker got caught up in the moment or whether he simply misjudged how far the ball was moving towards the leg side, Nuwan Kulasekara was unlucky to be given out lbw and Christian was fortunate to become the fourth man to take an ODI hat-trick for Australia. Replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps.
The disappearing bat
Wicketkeeping can be a dangerous business, as Kumar Sangakkara well knows. But this time he was not the man in peril. During the 24th over of Sri Lanka's innings, Sangakkara pulled a delivery from Xavier Doherty with such force that he lost his grip on the bat and it flew past behind him and just missed the gloveman Matthew Wade. It could easily have hit Wade, or the stumps, but did neither. All's well that ends well.
Wicketkeeping can be a dangerous business, as Kumar Sangakkara well knows. But this time he was not the man in peril. During the 24th over of Sri Lanka's innings, Sangakkara pulled a delivery from Xavier Doherty with such force that he lost his grip on the bat and it flew past behind him and just missed the gloveman Matthew Wade. It could easily have hit Wade, or the stumps, but did neither. All's well that ends well.
The fine
Visiting fans often struggle to understand the strangely specific amounts that they can be fined for various activities in Australia. A few would have been puzzled when the big screen told them they could be fined $488 for any behaviour that resulted in them being evicted from the MCG by police. That figure is the result of fines being issued based on "penalty points" written in to Victorian law. One penalty point is worth $122.14 - another mystery in itself - and a behavioural breach at the MCG clearly brings a fine of four penalty points. What happens to the extra 56 cents is anyone's guess.
Visiting fans often struggle to understand the strangely specific amounts that they can be fined for various activities in Australia. A few would have been puzzled when the big screen told them they could be fined $488 for any behaviour that resulted in them being evicted from the MCG by police. That figure is the result of fines being issued based on "penalty points" written in to Victorian law. One penalty point is worth $122.14 - another mystery in itself - and a behavioural breach at the MCG clearly brings a fine of four penalty points. What happens to the extra 56 cents is anyone's guess.
Edited by Nikita Bastian
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here