 "The Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder clash at the WBBL was abandoned in a manner that left the commentators perplexed. X/WBBL")
Sydney Thunder were just three runs away from victory in their Women’s Big Bash League clash against Adelaide Strikers on Friday when the umpires decided to call off the game due to rain at the Adelaide Oval. Even the commentators could not understand the reasoning behind the bizarre finish as they called the result an “utter embarrassment”.
The match had already been reduced to five overs per side due to persistent rain in Adelaide. The Thunder had won the toss and asked the Strikers to bat first in the five-over game. Led by Laura Wolvaardt’s 22, Adelaide gave a 45-run target to the Thunder.
Phoebe Litchfield then fired a 15-ball 38 as the Sydney side reached 42 without any loss in just 2.5 overs and looked set for a victory.
At this point, the umpires converged and decided to call off the match due to persistent drizzle. However, commentators noted on air that the rain was lighter when the match was called off than at previous points in the game when the play continued.
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WBBL washout ‘utter embarrassment’
The commentators were left perplexed by the decision to call off the match. Speaking on Channel 7 following the match, Alister Nicholson said: “That is an utter embarrassment that’s taken place here. There is not a drop of rain at the moment. That game was within a whisker of being determined, the result was completely clear, and the Sydney Thunder have been robbed of victory.”
Co-commentator Callum Ferguson too echoed similar sentiments.
“I’m absolutely blown away. It’s actually embarrassing for the game,” he said. “I cannot believe we’ve gone through what we did, what the curating staff did out there to get us ready for the contest was extraordinary, and stuff we haven’t seen before… I’m disappointed for so many people in this situation, it’s really disappointing to see the game let itself down like this.”
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View AllKatey Martin too wanted a result. “It’s an embarrassment and they could have done things a lot better than we have (seen) tonight,” said Martin on air.