Video: Watch BBL umpires talking about Kevin Pietersen's extraordinary boundary line effort
Sunday’s Big Bash League (BBL) match between the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder ended in a nail-biting fashion as the Thunder beat the Stars by just a solitary run. Usman Khawaja was the hero for the Thunder as he scored 109 runs off 70 balls.
Kevin Pietersen’s 76 runs could not get the Stars over the finishing line as they fell short by just one run. James Faulkner also contributed with a valuable 45 runs, but it was not quite enough for the Stars as they remain winless.
However, Pietersen produced a moment of brilliance during the match as he leapt up to save a certain six for the Thunder. Usman Khawaja sweetly struck a ball off Scott Boland to long on, where Pietersen was fielding.
On-field umpires, Paul Wilson and Shawn Craig, were unsure of whether Pietersen’s legs were in contact with the boundary line when he released the ball into the field of play. The rule says that any part of the fielder’s body cannot be in contact with the boundary line or any part beyond it before jumping to make contact with the ball.
The third umpire did not award a six to the Thunder as he could not find conclusive evidence that Pietersen had touched the rope. However, at 0:35, a slight movement in the rope can be observed which could probably suggest that KP had made some contact with the rope before jumping to save a boundary.
The umpires also spoke about Russell’s beamer to Pietersen which almost ended up near the batsman’s chest area and Russell was deservedly warned as per the law.
In the final part of the video, the umpires talked about the disturbance that seagulls can cause while the match is in progress. Again, Pietersen was involved as a seagull went close by him while he was running and picking the ball up in the outfield.
Here is the video (Video courtesy of Big Bash League Facebook page):
Optus Sport's The Umpires' Verdict had a strong Kevin Pietersen flavour due to the Melbourne Stars batsman's flying fielding effort and his encounter with a 'Dre Russ' BEAMER!
Posted by Big Bash League on Sunday, 20 December 2015
Hang Time pic.twitter.com/8tYqVbuP7n
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 21, 2015