Elizabeth Buchanan, the wicketkeeper for Auckland Hearts, fled the field following a terrifying event during a Super Smash match versus the Canterbury Magicians at Eden Park’s Outer Oval.
In an odd game, Elizabeth Buchanan was put in a dangerous predicament when an outfield throw struck her head and immediately left a bruise on her forehead. She was regrettably sporting a cap rather than a helmet.
When the ball arrived at an unsettling height, Canterbury batter Jodie Dean, who was rushing between the wickets, blocked Elizabeth Buchanan, the 17-year-old keeper, from seeing what was happening. It’s possible that the ball struck Dean’s helmet and rebounded off it, forcing the wicketkeeper to instantly leave the field.
Canterbury batter Kate Anderson was involved in another high-profile incident when she was controversially called out for 26 after being caught behind down the leg side. Whether her bat truly made contact with the ball was unclear from the videos, though. When Canterbury appealed to Anna Browning in the second over, Auckland’s innings started unusually, which added to the strange events. Browning appeared to swat the ball away with her hand, but replays revealed no contact, thus she was deemed not out following a review. After these strange circumstances, the game continued, with Auckland losing a string of regular wickets.
In the opening Women’s Super Smash match, defending champions Canterbury defeated Auckland.
Regarding the match, the Canterbury Magicians, batting first, set a target of 128-8 in 20 overs. For the Auckland Hearts, Kate Anderson contributed 25 off 26, and Skye Bowden put up a strong showing with 4-19 off 4. Auckland’s hopes of chasing a lot of runs were dashed, though, when Gabby Sullivan took three wickets and Frankie Mackay took two.
With Sullivan and Frankie ending with numbers of 3-22 and 2-19, respectively, the Hearts ended their innings with 116-7 in 20 overs. In the end, Canterbury, the reigning champions, defeated the Hearts by an impressive 11 runs in the exciting opening game of the women’s Super Smash.
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