Brisbane Heat fans have booed one of their own batsmen after he left his partner stranded one run short of a century in the Big Bash season opener.
New Zealander Colin Munro reached a barnstorming 99 runs off just 61 balls — but that’s where his innings ended after a single in the last over put Max Bryant on strike.
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Bryant quickly smacked a boundary and then struck another with the penultimate ball over the innings, eschewing his last opportunity to get Munro back on strike.
“It’s not too often a Brisbane Heat batsman gets booed at the Gabba for hitting a boundary. He’s copping it here, Max Bryant!” Ricky Ponting said in commentary on Channel 7.
James Brayshaw added: “I actually cannot believe that!”
Bryant made good on hogging the strike with another boundary off the final ball of the innings, helping Brisbane reach an impressive 3-214 off their 20 overs.
Perhaps surprisingly given how much cricketers love their milestones and round numbers, though, Munro didn’t even mind being stranded.
“I’m not too worried about the 99, I think Maxy came out and got three boundaries in the last three balls. It’s a team game,” he said.
“Guys that know me and have played with me know that I’m team first. Ninety-nine or 100, nothing really matters as long as we’ve got enough (runs) tonight.”
Munro still earned the applause he deserved from the fans as he raised the bat on his way off the field.
The opener and Heat skipper Usman Khawaja got off to a flying start on Thursday night, the latter doing the early work after he was dropped at backward point on the fourth ball of the innings.
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Munro’s innings was ignited by a 19-run Glenn Maxwell (1-44 off three overs) over.
Khawaja then slammed Nathan Coulter-Nile through cover and the Heat raced to 0-63 from six overs.
Khawaja (28 off 19) holed out to Maxwell soon after but Munro kept attacking Australia’s World Cup hero.
He used the crease expertly to thump a straight six off the back foot and hit Pakistan spinner Usama Mir for another maximum to bring up a 33-ball half-century.
Munro was dropped by a diving Tom Rogers in the deep off Maxwell and rubbed salt into the wounds by hitting the next ball for six.
The Heat were sitting pretty at 1-101 at the halfway point.
Munro and Marnus Labuschagne kept up the pace, going at 12 runs an over for the next five overs until the Australian Test No.3 was well caught at deep midwicket by Marcus Stoinis.
A Sam Billings ramp shot in the 18th over was sweetly timed for six, Munro following up with two boundaries to move into the 90s.
Billings fell and Munro wasn’t complaining as Bryant found 12 runs from the final three balls of the innings despite denying him the milestone.
– with AAP
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