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With the advent of T20 cricket and the influx of technology, the game has witnessed a paradigm shift. Now, the presence of drones, spider cams and lit bails is a common phenomenon in the game.
The wickets are laced with LED lights which flicker when being hit or even through minimal contact. But, the LEDs on the bails have increased the weight of the toppings on the stumps, considerably.
Therefore, we have seen numerous instances when the ball hits the stumps but doesn’t have enough power to dislodge the bails.
There also have been several incidents when batsmen have managed to find a lucky escape, even with the ball hitting the stumps.
Russell and his ‘lucky escape’
The 28th match of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 saw Barbados Tridents (BT) take on Jamaica Tallawahs (JT) at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
The game held little relevance to the context of the tournament as all four semi-finalists have been decided, with BT and St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots (SKP) out of contention.
The face-off between BT’s wrist-spinner Rashid Khan and hard-hitting Andre Russell was one of the keenly anticipated contests in the game.
With the flying start provided by Jermaine Blackwood (74 off 59), Russell entertained the spectators through another one of his trademark knocks.
Russell slammed a quickfire 54 which came off just 28 deliveries. He smashed four boundaries and five sixes in his decimating innings.
However, Rashid almost managed to curtail Russell’s knock as the latter attempted a mighty heave over mid-wicket.
The Afghan tweaker’s deception got the better of Russell, and the ball managed to kiss the stumps, with the bails flickering.
Moreover, the ball did not have enough to dislodge the bails and Russell was provided with a life.
Here’s the video:
THE LIGHTS ARE ON…. Dre Russ has a lucky escape. #CPL20 #JTvBT #CricketPlayedLouder pic.twitter.com/EcQ1TM8eog
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 5, 2020
Rashid was then left distraught as he couldn’t believe what unravelled in front of him. What followed was a hilarious impersonation of Rashid from Russell, who imitated the former’s trademark celebration, post-dismissal.
Later, Rashid managed to pick Russell’s wickets in the penultimate delivery of JT’s innings. BT won the match by seven wickets.
