‘You’re kidding me?’: Absolute madness in BBL farce

The Big Bash has descended into farcical scenes that left Melbourne Stars captain Glenn Maxwell visibly gobsmacked.

Melbourne Stars captain Glenn Maxwell was visibly gobsmacked during a moment of absolute madness in his teams’s loss to the Sydney Thunder on Saturday night.

The Stars remain winless five matches into the BBL season and their loss to the Thunder has likely broken any remote chance the Melbourne team still had of qualifying for the BBL play-offs.

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To add further insult to the 18-run defeat, the Stars have also been left with egg on their face after a bizarre moment where Thunder star Sam Billings was given another life before the Englishman went on to blast 72 runs from 39 balls in a player of the match innings.

There was high drama in Canberra after Billings was allowed to remain at the crease, despite replays showing the English import was clearly run out, NCA NewsWire reports.

You can wach the absurd incident in the video player above.

Glenn Maxwell was stunned to learn the Stars missed a wicket by failing to appeal.

Star Joel Paris threw down the stumps, with the ricochet allowing Thunder duo Billings and Jason Sangha to scamper through for another single.

And it was during that second run confusion that umpires determined no one from the Stars appealed for the run out.

“I don’t care if anyone doesn’t appeal … why is that not given out?” Aussie cricket great Brett Lee questioned.

“We look at the umpire, they always check the front foot no ball - that should be given out.

“Why is the third umpire not jumping in and saying that’s out?

“It’s a run out! You don’t have to appeal for a run out.”

“I think you do,” Fox Cricket commentator Brendon Julian replied.

“It’s a grey area,” Lee said.

Sam Billings was nowhere near it. Photo: Fox Cricket.

The Fox Cricket team then had the task of telling mic’ed up Star Glenn Maxwell of the missed opportunity.

“That seems about right,” Maxwell replied when told.

“That was out? You are kidding me?

“Why leave that with me. That’s awful from you blokes.”

Replays showed Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis appeared to gesture with his arms but umpires later told him no appeal was given.

“Is that an appeal?” the stump mic picked up the umpire saying.

“No appeal?”

Stoinis can then be heard saying “Howzat?” as the umpire replies “Do you want me to go up?”

“Well no, don’t worry,” Stoinis says.

Billings was 18 off 17 balls when he was run out but not dismissed, and scored 54 off the ensuing 22.

Sam Billings couldn't hide his smile when admitting he knew he was run out.

When asked by Fox Cricket if he knew he was out, the English import laughed as he said: “I actually did”.

“I said to the umpire because he asked Sidds (bowler Peter Siddle) if he wanted to appeal and he said no.

“I was just holding the ball … then he kept on asking him.

“I said ‘Umps, you can’t keep asking if they don’t want to appeal.

“It was a bit dopey from me (the run itself) but luckily I got away with it.”

It was a must-win clash for the bottom-placed Stars while Sydney Thunder has now jumped into the top four.

The Thunder lost the toss and batted first on a good track at Manuka Oval, posting 182 thanks to some Billings’ brilliance.

Billings should’ve been run out for 16 but a non-appeal meant he was able to go on and dominate scoring 72 before he chopped on facing Peter Siddle.

Ben Duckett worked hard for the Stars in reply scoring 67 in the run-chase, but wickets continued to fall around him as the Thunder bowlers executed their plans and they fell short, once again.

Thunder captain David Warner was delighted with the back-to-back victories for his side.

“It’s a great victory, I was pleased for our guys, Wes coming in for his first game and the way he executed … Sam Billings controlling the ship as well,” he said.

“It’s the way the fielders back up the bowlers as well, we tried to squeeze a lot and try and create chances.”

— With NCA NewsWire

Originally published as ‘You’re kidding me?’: Absolute madness in BBL farce