Watch: Peter Handscomb stood his ground after edging a ball to third slip in the Sheffield Shield today (November 28), refusing to walk off until the umpires intervened.
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Peter Handscomb came to the crease in Victoria’s first innings after his side had collapsed to 4-2 in round six of the 2023/24 Sheffield Shield. They found themselves 21-3 seven overs later when Will Pucovski was also out cheaply. Handscomb blocked his way to seven off 23 balls before he nicked a ball angled into him from Brendan Doggett to South Australia’s captain, Jake Lehmann, at third slip.
The ball went low to Lehmann’s right, and he had to move quickly to grab the ball before it hit the turf. He was able to take the catch with both hands, diving to the ground, and threw the ball up into the air in celebration straight away. While it looked like a straightforward dismissal, Handscomb stood his ground.
As the fielders high-fived in celebration, Handscomb stayed resolutely in his crease, shaking his head and gesturing to where Lehmann had taken the catch. Despite Handscomb disputing whether the catch had been cleanly taken, replays showed the ball had gone straight into Lehmann’s hands.
However, even after the replays proved the validity of the dismissal, Handscomb remained on the field. Lehmann protested to the umpires as Handscomb stood resolutely in the middle with non-striker Campbell Kelaway. It was only after both umpires intervened to talk to him that Handscomb walked off the field, still clearly unconvinced by the dismissal.
Handscomb’s wicket left Victoria 29-4 and before lunch at the Adelaide Oval. However, a stunning hundred from Sam Harper (101 not out in 66 balls) took them to 187-5 by stumps on day one.
Watch: Peter Handscomb refuses to walk
Peter Handscomb refused to leave after edging to the slips until being sent on his way by the umpires 😲 #SheffieldShield#PlayOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/7hs8u47tX7
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 28, 2023