Sydney Thunder "robbed" of victory after controversial finish in WBBL

ADELAIDE: The 27th match of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) 2025 concluded in a bizarre fashion as the umpires called for abandonment when Sydney Thunder required just three runs to prevail against home side Adelaide Strikers.

In a match that was reduced to five overs per side, the hosts batted first and piled up 45/2, courtesy of Laura Wolvaardt's blistering cameo.

The South Africa captain top-scored with a blazing 22 off 13 deliveries with the help of two fours and a six, while skipper Tahlia McGrath chipped in with a six-ball 12, featuring two fours.

For the Thunder, Lucy Finn and Shabnim Ismail picked up one wicket apiece.

In response, Thunder captain Phoebe Litchfield launched a ruthless attack on the Strikers' bowlers and propelled her side within touching distance of the victory with an unbeaten 38 off 15 deliveries, studded with eight fours.

Litchfield's brilliance had brought the equation down to just three runs required off 13 deliveries, and while the victory appeared certain, the on-field umpires decided to abandon the match due to rain, which, however, had been pouring down for a quarter-hour and notably had become less intense when the officials made the call.

The on-field umpires' decision to call off the fixture left the Thunder players stunned, while their captain, Litchfield, vented her frustration in a post-match interview.

"Disappointed," Litchfield told Fox Sports. "It's a shame. It's pretty disappointing."

Meanwhile, renowned Australian journalist Alister Nicholson, who was part of the commentary panel that was calling the action for a local TV channel, heavily criticised the decision, stressing that the Thunder was "robbed" of a guaranteed victory.

"That is an utter embarrassment that's taken place here. There is not a drop of rain at the moment," said Nicholson.

"That game was within a whisker of being determined, the result was completely clear, and the Sydney Thunder have been robbed of victory," he added.

His fellow commentator Callum Ferguson echoed Nicholson's remarks and called it "embarrassing" for the game.

"I'm absolutely blown away. It's actually embarrassing for the game. I cannot believe we've gone through what we did, what the curating staff did out there to get us ready for the contest was extraordinary, and stuff we haven't seen before. They were dumping water left, right and centre, getting the Super Soppers out there manually and cleaning up.

"To go through all of that and play through so much rain in those 10 overs, to then get to the point where we're within one strike of getting a result in this fixture, with all the fans in the stands, all the fans watching around the country, I'm disappointed for so many people in this situation, it's really disappointing to see the game let itself down like this."

The abandonment of the fixture barred Sydney Thunder from pipping Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL standings as both teams shared a point.