Watch: The most bizarre delivery in cricket
South Africa's victory in the one-off T20I was a comfortable one in the end but that was almost overshadowed by a shocking delivery bowled by Kagiso Rabada in the ninth over of the Australian run chase. Instead of bowling the ball towards the batsman, the ball slipped out of Rabada's hands and ended up going to the fielder at backward point.
It was eventually ruled a dead ball and although Glenn Maxwell and Australia wanted a no ball, they didn't get their wish. Here is that bizarre delivery:
With Australia needing 41 off 10 balls to complete an improbable victory with just four wickets in hand, Rabada came in, to bowl the third ball of the ninth over. Although the victory was all but guaranteed for the visitors, the Proteas pacer proceeded a deliver a ball that left the batsmen confused, his teammates in splits and the spectators wondering whether that was the most bizarre delivery that they have seen.
Everything began just as it normally does but just before he delivered the ball, it slipped and went in the direction of the fielder at backward point, who collected it and returned it back to the bowler. It didn't take long for the umpire to deem it a dead ball and then proceed with the game even if that wasn't what Maxwell thought should have happened.
Although, according to Law 20 Dead ball, the umpire was correct in his decision as he deemed that it was accidental.
According to law, 20.4 Umpire calling and signalling Dead ball
20.4.2.8 the bowler drops the ball accidentally before delivery.
As a result, much to the dismay of the Australian all-rounder and the crowd at the Carrara Oval in the Gold Coast, the umpire asked the pacer to deliver that ball again. Although Maxwell hit back-to-back boundaries in the over, it went for just 12 runs and Australia needed 31 off the last ball to win, which they failed to get and they finished on 87/7 from their 10 overs to lose the rain-curtailed one-off T20I by 21 runs.
Earlier, South Africa posted 108/6 after Australia won the toss and elected to field first. While no Proteas batsman got over 30, all of the top five were in double digits and they had enough on the board, even though their last two overs of the innings went for just 10 runs and they lost three wickets as well.