MELBOURNE, Dec 27
Moises Henriques insisted his catch to remove Tom Rogers in the Big Bash League was taken cleanly, raising fresh questions over grey areas in cricket’s rules. Melbourne Stars claimed their first win of the season in Tuesday night’s eight-wicket win over the Sydney Sixers, breathing new life into their season. But the main talking point from the game was Henriques’ sensational catch to remove Rogers early in the Stars’ chase. Leaping high in the air at mid off, Henriques took the ball cleanly before falling to the ground with the ball appearing to touch the turf while in his right hand. Cricket’s rules state that a catch is not complete until the fielder is in full control of their body, meaning the ball cannot touch the ground during that period. The catch was sent upstairs with a soft call of out, before third umpire Claire Polosak found insufficient evidence to overturn the decision while unsure if Henriques had his fingers under the ball.
“I obviously felt it was out,” Henriques said. “I felt I had complete control over the ball … I felt like the ball was never going to come out once I had landed.
“I didn’t really get a good look at the replay to be honest because I was off with the physio at the time. I was surprised when they told me they were checking. I just thought it was out. There was never a bobble in the hand or anything. So it felt pretty clean to me.”
The wicket evoked memories of Mitchell Starc’s denied catch of Ben Duckett in the Ashes, when he caught a ball at Lord’s but rubbed it along the ground as he slid across the turf.
Henriques conceded his catch was similar, amid a grey area in the game where fielders are confident they have the ball under control even if rules state otherwise.
“I thought Mitch’s was out as well at Lord’s as well, and I obviously felt mine was out,” the Sixers captain said. “It’s a bit of a grey area at the moment in the game.
“Back in the day, those types of dismissals are just called out all the time. But obviously now with the video rate is bigger and clearer than ever, they can really slow that down and have a big look at it.”
“I’m not sure that if there’s a little bit of a finger under the ball, if that’s out. Or if you’re still holding the ball completely, or if you’re using the ground to control the ball, then maybe that shouldn’t be out. But I felt like I never lost control of the ball.”
Henriques hurt his left shoulder taking the catch, and while he stayed on the field the Sixers will see how he pulls up before their next clash with Sydney Thunder on Saturday.
