Hobart Hurricanes’ seasoned player, Matthew Wade, has expressed concerns over what he described as “radio silence” from the umpires regarding the time remaining for his team to bowl overs before facing penalties during their recent BBL clash with the Melbourne Renegades.
Matthew Wade played a pivotal role in the Hurricanes’ first BBL win of the season, scoring a notable 82 off 50 balls. However, the match saw some drama during the Renegades’ innings when a no-ball was called on the first delivery of Chris Jordan’s final over due to an incorrect number of fielders outside the circle.
Teams failing to complete their overs in the allocated time are restricted to having only four fielders outside the circle, instead of the usual five.
According to Matthew Wade, there was a lack of communication from the umpires after informing skipper Nathan Ellis that they had 60 seconds to bowl the last ball within the stipulated time. Wade mentioned that despite the time running out on the board, there was no further communication regarding the need for an additional fielder inside the circle.
Matthew Wade returns to win
Hurricanes’ player Tim David added that if they had been informed about the requirement for an extra fielder, they would have promptly adjusted their fielding setup.
Matthew Wade highlighted that it is customary for umpires to inform teams when adjustments are needed due to slow over rates. The Renegades capitalized on the confusion, hitting a boundary off the subsequent free hit and posting a total of 183/5.
Despite the umpiring controversy, the Hurricanes secured victory with Matthew Wade, returning from back spasms, combining effectively with Mac Wright (63 from 36 balls). Wright, a late inclusion for Ben McDermott, played a crucial role in the win. Wade mentioned that McDermott is likely to return for their upcoming match against the Melbourne Stars on Thursday.
With this win, the Hurricanes now stand at 1-2 for the season, while the winless Renegades face a challenging start to the BBL season with four consecutive losses.
