VIDEO | Prankster umpire denies LBW by bamboozling Rashid Khan with ‘nose-itch’ in BBL game
Player shenanigans on the field have become a frequent occurrence, especially with breakneck T20 leagues coming to the fore, but when umpires pull off a prank on-field, the amusement becomes two-fold. But unfortunately for Rashid Khan, the umpire prank wasn’t so pleasant as it denied him a wicket.
The Adelaide Strikers, playing against the Melbourne Renegades, having posted a total of 155, had the Melbourne Renegades reduced to 110/6 by the start of the 17th over. In the third delivery of that over, being delivered by celebrated spinner Rashid Khan, an umpire prank added all the drama that was missing in the competition between the two teams. Renegades batsman Beau Webster had a Rashid Khan googly hit his front pad which looked a clear lbw. However, he hit it towards square leg, which was followed by a huge shout from the bowling team.
Meanwhile, Webster and his partner Cameron Boyce ran a single. Seeing the umpire raise his finger, Rashid Khan started celebrating and the batsman began his walk. However, the umpire - George Davidson- changed his mind and, to make it look funny, he itched his nose instead. Cameron White, on mic, when asked about the u-turn in the umpire’s decision said that it was the right decision. However, replays showed it was hitting the stumps and was indeed out. At the end of the game, that the Strikers won by 18 runs, umpire Davidson said that he heard “two sounds”. Despite the drama, Rashid Khan finished with 2/15 off his 4 overs and walked off with the Player of the Match award.
👃 Greg Davidson with a bit of an itchy schnoz at Marvel Stadium #nosegate #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/m3M772Atox
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 29, 2019