Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell reacted angrily to an on-field decision during a Big Bash League 2025-26 match between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder in Canberra.
Maxwell criticized the third umpire after a call went against his team, adding that the fielder had clearly saved the ball from the boundary.
After winning the toss, the Stars chose to bowl first at Manuka Oval on Sunday, December 28. Thunder opening batters Matthew Gilkes and Sam Konstas added 33 runs in just under four overs. However, once the first wicket fell, Thunder struggled to build partnerships and lost wickets at regular intervals.
Controversial Boundary Call Sparks Animated Reaction from Glenn Maxwell
A controversial boundary decision came late in Sydney Thunder’s innings and quickly became a talking point. On the final ball of the 16th over, Shadab Khan pulled a short-of-length delivery toward deep mid-wicket.
Hilton Cartwright sprinted to his left and put in a sliding effort near the rope, trying to push the ball back into play. While the attempt was impressive, his momentum carried him into the boundary cushions, with the ball appearing to brush close to his leg.
The decision was referred to the TV umpire, who ruled that Cartwright was in contact with both the ball and the boundary rope at the same time. Four runs were awarded despite the strong fielding effort. The call drew an animated reaction from Glenn Maxwell, who labelled it a “shocker.”
He Did Really Well, I Was Right Next To Him – Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell expressed his frustration after a boundary decision went against his team. Maxwell said that he had a clear view of the incident and felt the replay made it look worse than it actually was. He added that the ball never touched the player’s leg, calling the decision a “shocker.”
“To get your body out of the way and not touch it, because all you want to do is push it back in when you can see it trickling on. Now he got out of the way,” Maxwell said.
“But I had a great view of it. Oh, of course they’re going to give it out. Oh my God. It’s an awful decision. That’s a shocker. Unfortunately for them, he did really well. I was right next to him.”
“There was nowhere near his leg. The camera makes it look bad, but he did well to stay away from it. Oh well. Get two extras.”
Haris Rauf Leads Stars’ Bowling Effort Against Thunder
Haris Rauf continued his impressive run in the tournament with a strong bowling performance. The right-arm pacer finished with figures of 3 for 29 from his four overs, keeping the pressure on Sydney Thunder throughout his spell.
In the 14th over, Rauf dismissed Sam Billings and followed it up with a unique celebration. His three-wicket haul played a major role in restricting Sydney Thunder to a modest 128 runs at the end of their 20 overs.
Tom Curran, skipper Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Swepson picked up two wickets each, while Peter Siddle bagged one scalp.