WBBL | Twitter enthralled as super zoom patiently convinces Devine to walk off amidst raucous WACA

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ByGantavya Adukia, SportsCafe Editor

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For whatever advantages technology has in cricket, it is unarguable that cameras have stripped away power from umpires and the phenomenon showcases itself once in a while through a defiant player. Sophie Devine played that role at the WACA as the crowd rode the emotions while she waited to walk off.

Perth Scorchers suffered two mini collapses after choosing to bat first on home soil in their Women's Big Bash League season opener against Sydney Sixers on Sunday. The second tumble left them reeling at 83/7 in the 14th over, wth the onus on Alana King and Lilly Mills to take them to competitive score. However, things could have gone a lot differently if a purported controversial decision had gone in their favour, with one of the tournament's greatest ever players Sophie Devine at the heart of the action.

The Scorchers skipper had batted just five balls when she tried to charge down the track against Ashleigh Gardner in the eighth over to break free of a brutal slowdown after Beth Mooney's departure in the powerplay. However, the wily Gardner pushed the ball quick and short enough to beat the Kiwi all hands up, leaving Emma Manix-Geeves with a routine stumping to execute. However, the pace on the ball seemed to take the youngster by surprise too as she failed to gather the ball cleanly, as it burst through the gloves to hit her leg. Manix-Geeves tried to frantically go after the ball as Devine scampered back, but the former breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that the bail had fallen off as the ball bounced back onto the stumps. A third umpire review confirmed Devine had not made it back in time and flashed 'Out' on the big screen, much to Devine's shock. The veteran signalled with her hands that it may have been Manix-Geeves' gloves that took the bails off, and defiantly stood her ground with legs crossed. Absurdly, the umpires did not intervene, but slow motion replays rolled on the big screen to determine whether Devine's allegations were correct while the WACA booed in her support. However, they turned into a unanimous cheer when the replays suggested the right decision had been reached but the glove was indeed too close to the bail at the time it fell off, and Devine continued to stand unfazed in the middle. The broadcasters then switched to super zoom, which finally showed clear daylight between the gloves and the stumps as well as the ball deflecting and the bail getting active at the same moment.

Twitterati was thoroughly entertained.

Rare Stumping

Gardner on fire!

Oh!

Well played!

On fire!

Big Question

Perry Strikes

Very unique!

Tough Decision

WBBL Madness

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