The ninth edition of Australia’s popular T20 tournament, Big Bash League (BBL), started on Tuesday (December 17).
The opening match of the BBL|05 was played between Sydney Thunder (SYT) and Brisbane Heat (BRH) at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Thunder defeated Heat by 29 runs and got their BBL campaign off to a flyer. Skipper Callum Ferguson led from the front as he scored an unbeaten 73 off 44 balls.
Daniel Sams’ ‘moon ball’
There were exciting moments in the match, but one moment caught everyone’s attention. When Thunder’s frontline bowler Daniel Sams came to bowl the very first over of the innings, he did something which was grabbed in the eyes of fans and commentators.
Sams tried to bowl a slower delivery, but the moment he released the ball, it got slip out of his hands, and it went straight into the air, landing near the square-leg umpire.
This led the commentators and crowd to go for the laughing ride. Sams couldn’t resist himself from smiling as well.
Umm, what? Daniel Sams almost bowled this ball out of the circle completely 😑@KFCAustralia | #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/In0fNZubTf
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 17, 2019
Sams delivery went viral on social media as well, and people took to Twitter to react at the unusual incident.
Here are some best tweets:
Daniel Sams releasing guns! pic.twitter.com/jF5fTqcdjm
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 17, 2019
A moving Gabba tribute to Steve Harmison by Daniel Sams. #BHvST
— Patrick Noone (@patnoonecricket) December 17, 2019
At Daniel Sams pic.twitter.com/hRfNVWqzwU
— Glass Jaw Dan (@suthodan) December 17, 2019
"Hit that one!" 😅
That one didn't quite come out of the hand like Daniel Sams had planned!#BBL09 pic.twitter.com/Uan1cy5ajv
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 17, 2019
Is this the widest delivery you've ever seen? 😂
Daniel Sams almost bowled his delivery to the boundary… #BBL pic.twitter.com/6mmar8vWx4
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) December 17, 2019
Meanwhile, Chris Lynn lost the first game under his leadership, but he did create a record. He became the leading run-scorer in the history of BBL when he hit Chris Tremain for a maximum.
Lynn had 1945 runs to his name when he started the innings, just two behind Michael Klinger.