Brisbane Heat young gun Hugh Weibgen went from hero to zero on Friday night and it wasn’t the only piece of drama in an entertaining Big Bash game.
The 21-year-old made a spectacular diving effort on the boundary after Melbourne Stars batter Sam Harper hit it into the deep.
He plucked the ball out of the air with one arm, but his momentum dragged him to the rope as he hit the turf and the umpire signalled six runs.
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“Oh no. That’s a disappointment,” Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
“What an effort. It was one of the catches of the season, but now it’s not.”
Hugh Weibgen’s diving attempt. Fox Cricket
His fellow commentators were bewildered by the umpire’s verdict, given Weibgen’s hand touched the grass as he slid into the rope.
“The ball hasn’t touched the turf inside the boundary I guess, but it touches the boundary rope,” Gilchrist added.
Former Australian quick Brett Lee was confused.
“That’s got to be a four, doesn’t it?” he replied.
Alyssa Healy agreed with Lee: “His hand has hit the ground?” she said. “Is it because the ball hasn’t touched the turf? I don’t know the rules.”
The ball never touched the ground, partly due to his athletic attempt at a catch, and Weibgen’s momentum taking him straight into the rope, which made the ruling correct.
Harper went on to make 37 runs before being dismissed by another Tom Balkin.
Brisbane made up for it later in the innings, with wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson making a spectacular diving catch to remove superstar Glenn Maxwell.
Marcus Stoinis top scored for the Stars with 43 off 35 as his side climbed to a total of 6-195 from their 20 overs, setting a tough assignment for the Heat.
The visitors appeared in real trouble at 6-133 with just over four overs left to chase down the total, but a late knock from Max Bryant sealed a dramatic four-wicket win.
Bryant finished unbeaten on 48 off 26 deliveries, but admitted he should have been out earlier in his innings when he edged to Harper behind the stumps.
Max Bryant edges the ball to Sam Harper Fox Cricket
At the time, Lee quipped on commentary that Bryant “smashed” the ball to the keeper.
“I did nick one there, early on in my innings. Luckily, they didn’t review it, so lucky to get away there,” Bryant told Fox Cricket post-game.
“I was kind of laughing after the (review) timer ran out. That’s cricket, you get them sometimes, sometimes they go the other way and you get given out.
“You’ve got to take those.”
Replays and the Snicko technology showed that Bryant did hit the ball and should have been dismissed with the Heat still requiring 76 to win off five overs.
The drama-filled clash was the Stars’ first loss of the BBL campaign.