The Brisbane Heat have knocked out the Sydney Thunder in a seven-wicket win at Manuka Oval in Canberra, setting up a Challenger match up with the Perth Scorchers despite the luck not going their way throughout the match.
In a season filled with controversial decisions, the Heat looked to have copped one of the more difficult ones when Marnus Labuschagne was run out for 32 off 30 balls.
The Heat were 2/70 and barely going anywhere but Labuschagne was given out by the third umpire when his bat bounced as he dived to slide it in.
While he would have been out, Australian legend Ricky Ponting was left fuming as the vision showed the ball came out of Thunder keeper Sam Billings' gloves as he deflected it onto the stumps.
Speaking on Channel 7, Ponting questioned whether the third umpire could even make the decision with it so line ball.
"Did his bat get down? I'm not sure he got the bat down," Ponting began.
Then he realised the ball was out of the gloves.
"How can you possibly tell? He didn't even check that!" he said. "He has not even looked if the ball has broken the stumps first or the keeper's gloves has done it.
"What's knocked the bails off? The bail closest to his arm, the one that comes off first."
Sam Heazlett changed the game for the Heat, after Labuschagne was dismissed.
On Fox Cricket, Adam Gilchrist said: "I'm more interested in the arm of... I think the ball hits the stumps first. Whether the stump was broken by Sam Billings' arm."
Billings said it was part of the plan to deflect the ball onto the stumps rather than catch and break the stumps.
I don’t reckon the third umpire even noticed the ball wasn’t in Billings’ gloves 😂#BBL10
But it may have helped the Heat get going with Sam Heazlett teeing off.
He was 26 off 29 balls when Labuschagne got out, but he brought his 50 up off 37 balls as he started launching sixes. The pressure got to the Thunder as the bowlers line and length went haywire.
Jimmy Peirson and Heazlett notched a 50-run partnership from the next 22 balls, before seeing Brisbane home with a 92-run stand off just 43 balls.
Heazlett finished 74 not out off 49 balls while Peirson had 43 not out off 29 balls.
Sam Heazlett and Jimmy Peirson turned the game right around for the Heat tonight. The Thunder's bowling turned to mush around the time the showers passed through. #BBL10
Mark Waugh slammed the Thunder bowlers throughout the second half of the innings as they "couldn't buy a yorker" with the game on the line.
"The Thunder would be disappointed, they've played pretty well all season, they probably played their worst game tonight, but give credit to the Heat," he said.
Earlier in the game, it looked like the luck could have been with the Thunder as Usman Khawaja survived a plumb LBW shout in the first over.
Khawaja appeared to be plumb in the first over.
But the umpire, after a good long look, gave it not out to the Heat's disgust.
"It's Manuka, not the Gabba," one of the Heat players yelled out.
On Fox Cricket, Adam Gilchrist said Khawaja advancing at the bowler was probably what saved him but everyone else thought it was plumb.
On Seven, Ricky Ponting said: "You don't get much more out than that. The line of that looked absolutely spot on. It hit him low on the pad as well."
After losing Alex Hales early for eight, the Thunder couldn't get away with Khawaja dismissed for 28 off 30 balls.
Only cameos from Billings with a 24-ball 34 and Ben Cutting's 34 not out of 18 balls got the Thunder to 8/158.
The Thunder lost chunks of wickets, including 3/3 off seven balls in the middle order, only getting to the total thanks to Cutting's four sixes.
It's a disappointing loss for the Thunder but the Heat have now won three straight sudden death games and will face the Perth Scorchers in The Challenger with the winner to play the defending champion Sydney Sixers at the SCG next Saturday night.
2021 BBL FINALS
The Eliminator – Brisbane Heat (4th) defeat Adelaide Strikers (5th) by six wickets - read
The Qualifier – Sydney Sixers (1st) defeat Perth Scorchers (2nd) by nine wickets - read
The Knock Out – Brisbane Heat (4th) defeat Sydney Thunder (3rd) by seven wickets
The Challenger – Perth Scorchers (2nd) Vs Brisbane Heat (4th) @ Manuka Oval, Thursday February 4 at 7.15pm AEDT
The Final – Sydney Sixers (1st) Vs Winner of Challenger @ SCG, Saturday February 6 at 7.15pm AEDT
Updates
Big Bash divided over controversial call
T20 cricket can be brutal with Marnus Labuschagne given out run out
after his bat bounced as he dived in.
But there were plenty of questions raised about the dismissal with the ball coming out of Thunder keeper Sam Billings' hands as he broke the stumps.
Cricket legend and Channel 7 commentator Ricky Ponting was quick to point out that he wasn't sure whether the gloves, arm or the ball knocked the bails off.
"Did his bat get down? I'm not sure he got the bat down," Ponting began.
Then he realised the ball was out of the gloves.
"How can you possibly tell? He didn't even check that!" he said. "He has not even looked if the ball has broken the stumps first or the keeper's gloves has done it. "What's knocked the bails off? The bail closest to his arm, the one that comes off first."
On Fox Cricket, Adam Gilchrist said: "I'm more interested in the arm of… I think the ball hits the stumps first. Whether the stump was broken by Sam Billings' arm."
Billings said it was part of the plan to deflect the ball onto the stumps rather than catch and break the stumps.
I don’t reckon the third umpire even noticed the ball wasn’t in Billings’ gloves 😂#BBL10
But it may have helped the Heat get going with Sam Heazlett hitting his 50 off 37 balls and the Heat getting a 50 runs stand between Heazlett and Jimmy Peirson off the next 22 balls.
Heat need 103 to win from last 10
The Heat may need to get a move on or the game will pass them by.
After 10 overs, they were 2/56, needing 159 to win and move through to The Challenger.
Strap on in.
Khawaja explains 'McNugget' moment
Usman Khawaja has explained why he stripped down to his jocks and it was all about protecting his McNuggets.
"I had a blowout. And then Lynny was getting to me, he is like, 'Spinner's bowling'," Khawaja said on Seven.
"I was like I have to protect my McNuggets, I don't care who is bowling, no way I'm batting without my box. What a stinker.
"You're not supposed to see the dacks, mate, that's the point. Not one of my finer moments, but you've got to do what you've got to do, unfortunately."
While it cost Khawaja his wicket according to the commentators, it came at a bad time for the Thunder just before the break, with Callum Ferguson getting out just after the 10 over mark and the batsmen finding it difficult to get away.
Heat in trouble early
The dew has stayed away from Manuka Oval and the Thunder have struck twice early early.
After the first over went for just two, Daniel Sams took full advantage, bowling Joe Denly for a duck to kick the Thunder off.
Chris Lynn then tried to hit Brendan Doggett out of the attack but hit it straight up in the air.
He was gone for 10 and all of a sudden, the Heat were 2/14.
Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship a bit as Brisbane reached 2/25 in the power play.
Thunder set 159
The Sydney Thunder have dodged complete disaster with Ben Cutting saving the day.
His 18-ball 34 not out got the Thunder to 8/158 off the 20 overs, with 51 coming from the last five.
He and Brendan Doggett had to save the day late as the Sixers lost 3/3 in seven balls between the 15th and 16th overs.
Chris Green and Adam Milne didn't add much, with Milne run out for a diamond duck they called "complete and utter madness" on Channel 7, as he didn't run and Cutting ran himself off strike.
But it's set a score that can be defended, depending on how the Heat start off.
Thunder's stunning collapse
The Sydney Thunder have lost 3/3 in the space of seven balls in a stunning collapse.
While they haven't been able to get away the Thunder, they went from 3/107 to 6/110 after Ben Laughlin had Sam Billings hit out into the outfield, before Mitch Swepson got Daniel Sams and Chris Green both being dismissed LBW.
It leaves a lot of work still to be done – with three overs to go, the Thunder were 6/123.
Thunder struggling to get away
Wickets at bad times have been costly for the Sydney Thunder as the side could only get 2/68 off the first 10 overs.
It's just short of what the Scorchers had yesterday and they were crushed in the second innings as the Sixers ran riot.
It's a bad omen for the Thunder with Khawaja going for 28 off 30 just before the 10 over mark and Callum Ferguson going eight balls after.
After 13 overs, the Thunder were 3/89.
Strip show costs Thunder dearly
Usman Khawaja has appeared to blow a jock strap in the BBL Knock Out, taking his pants completely off in the middle of Manuka Oval.
James Brayshaw said on Channel 7: "I've never seen a cricketer completely derobe on the ground." Marnus Labuschagne said: "He gave us a full show"
But after switching out the strap, it Labuschagne lethal legspin continued as he dropped a crazy difficult caught and bowled off Khawaja, before he was stumped two balls later as he played over the top of the wrong'un.
"Usman did not seem like he switched on after that break in play," Adam Gilchrist said.
Ricky Ponting said on Seven: "Didn't look like he was quite with it after that break, Khawaja. Even before that dismissal he turned around and was talking to the wicketkeeper. Lost a bit of concentration"
So the lesson is don't take your pants off in the middle of Manuka Oval.
'Not the Gabba': BBL farce strikes again
The BBL Knock Out game has already delivered what looks to have been a shocker of a call with Usman Khawaja lucky to survive the first over.
The fourth ball of the over swung back well and beat Khawaja with it looking pretty plumb.
But the umpire, after a good long look, gave it not out to the Heat's disgust.
"It's Manuka, not the Gabba," one of the Heat players yelled out.
"Wow. You don't get much more out than that," says Ricky Ponting.
Alex Hales has done literally everything he can to force his way back into the English national team but the selectors aren't biting.
Hales has scored one of just two centuries this season and has hit 535 runs at 41.15 with a strike rate of 163.60.
He's the run leader of the tournament but England won't end his exile with Thunder coach Shane Bond and former England skipper Michael Vaughan slamming the call.
Bond revealed that no one from the English camp had contacted him to talk about how Hales had been doing during his two year stint with the Sydney side.
Two years ago, Hales was suspended for 21 days for recreational drug use, with it believe to be the issue that is stopping selectors from giving him another chance.
But Bond told The Sunday Telegraph that he had been great around the squad.
“I’ve read a lot from the England camp about how it’s about trust issues. Well, if that’s the case, I want to know how they signed off on that because I’m still waiting for the phone call about how he’s going over here,” Bond told The Sunday Telegraph.
“If you’re going to make it about trust then you need to do your diligence and see what’s actually happening but he’s been here two seasons and no one’s rung us from the ECB to ask how he’s fitted in and what he’s been doing.
“I just think that’s really unfair because he’s being punished for something that happened nearly three years ago.
“Lots of young men make mistakes but he’s learnt from it and grown up, he’s matured and he’s really good man that is just being punished way too much.”
Vaughan is also in Hales' corner for a comeback.
"I'd like to see him get another opportunity," Vaughan said. "He's too good a player. He gets hundreds in Twenty20 cricket. Not many people can do that."
In May 2020, English white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan said "more time" was needed before Hales could be welcomed back.
Vaughan said on the Test Match Special podcast: "There has been enough time now between what happened before the World Cup – England were right to get rid of him before then – but since then he's played so well, particularly over the past year.
"He gets in England's best six or seven batsmen and for that reason I believe time is a great healer."
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