Jake Weatherald was involved in a bizarre moment during South Australia’s One Day Cup clash against Tasmania at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. The Australian opener reacted quickly to a delivery from Tasmania spinner Raf MacMillan that slipped from his hand and bounced towards the leg side.
Weatherald managed to hit the unusual ball towards the deep mid-wicket and deep square-leg region, but the boundary was later taken away after the umpire called it both a no-ball and a dead ball.
Strange Delivery Leaves Everyone Confused
The incident happened during the 15th over, with South Australia already in a strong position after an explosive start to their innings. Weatherald had come to the crease at 120/1 following Jake Fraser-McGurk’s stunning 88 off just 47 balls, and he was looking to continue the attack against Tasmania.
The ball bounced away from the batter and travelled towards the leg side outside the pitch, leaving MacMillan himself struggling to follow its path. Weatherald quickly recognised that the ball was within reach and charged down the pitch in an attempt to make the most of the strange situation.
He connected cleanly and appeared to have found the boundary, creating an unusual moment that briefly caught everyone by surprise.
Why Umpire Denied Weatherald A Boundary?
Experienced Australian umpire Gerard Abood then intervened, ruling that the delivery was a no-ball because it had first bounced outside the playing area. However, Abood also determined that the ball had subsequently settled before Weatherald played his shot, meaning the delivery was declared dead. As a result, the boundary did not count and Weatherald was denied the four runs he appeared to have scored.
