Quick and adaptive thinking is a thing in sport and such a trait can take one to the top. Riley Meredith exercised a similar act during Saturday’s opening fixture in the BBL against the Perth Scorchers, leaving Josh Inglis marginally shy of his half-century and visibly frustrated.
The ploy to send the defending champions to bat first in their away encounter worked well for the Hurricanes as they extracted a couple of scalps inside the mandatory powerplay by conceding just 27 runs. However, Josh Inglis and Keaton Jennings’ cautious approach stabilized the stage for the Scorchers as they consolidated a 54-run third-wicket partnership before a special effort took center stage.
The fifth ball of the 16th over saw Meredith bowl a length delivery into the right-hander that the latter missed while attempting a pick-up flick. The ball went with the over-the-wicket angle and beat the inside edge to thud at the thigh pad. In no time, Inglis left the crease for a leg bye but the bowler followed the ball and forced him to take a U-turn halfway through the pitch. But Meredith was quick and accurate with the throw as he hit the stumps with an underarm before Inglis made ground. Despite a full-fledged dive, the wicketkeeper-batter who was batting at 49, fell marginally short of the crease, as shown on the big screen and the TV umpire ruled him out. Inglis was seen visibly frustrated as he tapped the ground in anguish before leaving the field dejected.
Poor Inglis!
