Cricket fans are divided after Channel 7 debuted a new animation during the opening game of this year’s Women’s Big Bash League.
The Melbourne Renegades hosted Sydney Thunder at Junction Oval as the Aussie summer of cricket kicked into gear on Thursday night.
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The Thunder claimed a comfortable six-wicket victory, reaching their target of 139 with three overs remaining.
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But it was a moment during the Renegades’ innings that caught the eye of plenty of viewers.
Coming in at No. 7, Deandra Dottin faced just two balls before she became the first player to go for a duck in this year’s WBBL.
As she trudged off the field, an animation of a duck swimming came up on the screen, before it leapt out of the water when it spotted a shark’s fin.
The brutal addition to the coverage quickly did the rounds among cricket fans on social media — and they clearly were not in agreement as to whether or not it was a good idea.
Some panned the animation, with Braedyn Smith saying: “Look, it’s cool and all, but they are getting a bit ridiculous.”
And Craig NQ added: “That’s s***house. Deandra Dottin out for 0. The animation is worse.”
But others felt it was a positive addition to the program.
Sports Royale said: “The duck animation got a whole new makeover. Whoever came up with this version deserves a raise.”
Abhijit Nair added: “Well no one can beat that original duck animation from Channel 9! It was the best.”
Ritesh J reacted: “Channel 7 shared a brilliant clip of the new broadcast duck animations rolling out for the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League season.”
And Whine and Jeez responded: “Why did they do away with these duck animations in cricket btw? They used to be so fun.”
Originally published as Cricket fans lose it at brutal new Channel 7 feature as Women’s Big Bash League gets underway