Cricket has witnessed plenty of bizarre incidents over the years, but something extraordinary happened during the Canada Super 60 semi-final between Toronto Sixers and Mississauga Masters.
A bouncer bowled by Ali Khan went so high that it cleared the boundary without bouncing or touching anyone.
Yes, you read that correctly. The ball did not reach the wicketkeeper, did not land anywhere on the field and did not touch the batter. It simply kept rising and eventually landed beyond the boundary.
The unusual delivery came when Ali Khan was bowling to Kieron Pollard during the first semi-final of the Canada Super 60.
Ali Khan attempted a bouncer, but the ball climbed far higher than expected. It sailed over Pollard, continued beyond the wicketkeeper and remarkably crossed the boundary on the full.
The sight left everyone watching surprised. Normally, even a badly directed bouncer either reaches the wicketkeeper or lands somewhere behind the batter. Seeing a delivery itself travel over the boundary without touching the bat or bouncing on the field is an extremely unusual sight.
Watch the bizarre delivery below:
Tiny Canada Super 60 Boundaries Made It Possible
There is an important reason why such an extraordinary delivery was possible.
The Canada Super 60 is being played at BC Place in Vancouver, where the playing area is unusually small for professional cricket. The extremely short boundaries have already become one of the biggest talking points of the tournament.
That meant a delivery travelling over the batter and wicketkeeper had a much shorter distance to cover before reaching the boundary than it would have at a conventional cricket ground.
Still, watching a bowler’s bouncer clear the boundary without any contact is something cricket fans rarely, if ever, get to see.
Batting team got 5 Runs not 7 runs, but Why?
The incident also brings an interesting cricket law into focus.
At first glance, someone might assume that because the ball crossed the boundary on the full, it should be treated like a six along with an additional run for the Wide, making seven runs.
That is not how it works.
Under MCC Law 22, a Wide carries a one-run penalty. If an untouched Wide then reaches or crosses the boundary, the normal boundary allowance is added to that Wide penalty and normal boundary allowance is 4 runs not 6 runs in MCC Law.
Importantly, an untouched delivery does not become a six simply because it crosses the boundary without bouncing. A six is awarded when a ball struck by the bat clears the boundary on the full.
Therefore, in this situation, the scoring is five wides in total — one run for the Wide plus four runs as the boundary allowance, not seven runs.
It was an extraordinary visual made possible by the unusually short boundaries at the Canada Super 60, while also producing a perfect example of a cricket law that many fans may never have had reason to think about before.
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