During the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 2023 fixture against Sydney Sixers, Brisbane Heat were penalized five runs after New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr caught a throw with her towel.
Amelia Kerr came to bowl the 10th over for Brisbane Heat as Sydney Sixers were 74-2 in chase of 177-run target.
The first delivery was a dot, and Ashley Gardner took a single on the second.
However, Sydney Sixers were awarded six runs because Amelia Kerr had collected the return throw with her towel.
In Women’s BBL, Sydney sixers was awarded with five penalty runs coz Brisbane heat’s bowler Amelia Kerr caught the ball with sweat towel instead of catching it directly with hands.#WBBL #AmeliaKerr
pic.twitter.com/wgDaEcEuWp— Karthik (@vsk_says) November 21, 2023
She was penalized five runs under law 28.2.1.2, which states that it is illegal for a fielder to “extend his/ her clothing with his/ her hands and use it to field the ball.”
It was a costly mistake as Sydney Sixers beat Brisbane Heat by six wickets with a ball to spare to keep their hopes of qualifying for the WBBL 2023 finals alive.
It is pertinent to mention that teams have been penalized five runs after fielders collect the ball with caps or it hits the helmet behind the wicketkeeper.