At the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, the Hobart Hurricanes witnessed their playoff aspirations slipping away as they faced a dismal start with the bat on a pitch known for its high scoring potential. Within the powerplay, the visitors lost three crucial wickets, tumbling to 24/3.
Their plight worsened when Cameron Boyce further troubled them, taking wickets off consecutive deliveries in the seventh over, reducing the score to a dire 36/5. Corey Anderson’s dismissal stemmed from a poor shot that landed in the hands of a fielder, while Nikhil Chaudhary’s downfall came from Alex Carey’s lightning-fast stumping.
Boyce cleverly pitched a full delivery down the leg side to entice Chaudhary into a front-foot shot. Chaudhary attempted a flick but missed, finding himself momentarily off-balance with his rear foot hovering outside the crease.
Swiftly, the 27-year-old managed to ground his foot back, while Carey collected the ball well-wide of the stumps and whipped off the bails with an extended right hand. Initially appearing safe, Carey’s confident appeal led to a third-umpire review.
How's that glovework from Carey! 😍
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 9, 2024
Chaudhary goes by the barest of margins! #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/92fh0eYUiD
Upon review, the replays confirmed Carey’s suspicion: Chaudhary’s foot was just on the white line, with the close-up footage indicating no part of it inside the crease. Carey’s lightning reflexes inevitably drew comparisons to Indian legend MS Dhoni on Twitter, with some recalling Dhoni’s famous stumping of Shubman Gill in the 2023 IPL final.