Picture Credit: Twitter
When it comes to competitive cricket, it is often said that captaining a side is not an easy job. From taking some bold calls regarding team selection to all the crucial decisions during the match, the leader of the side has so much on his/her plate. However, there is one more aspect of the game for a captain which often gets ignored - the toss.
Usually, the captain has a discussion with other players and team management before going into the toss, with respect to what to do after winning the toss. However, the final call still lies on the shoulders of the captain and he/she can change the pre-decided plan at the last moment. But recently ahead of a women's game, a hilarious episode happened as the captain herself got confused if her team should bat or bowl, leaving everyone in splits.
Have you ever seen this during toss?
The incident happened during the toss of match between between Northern Diamonds and North West Thunder. As the coin was flipped, Thunder captain Alexandra Hartley won the toss and her instant reaction was to put her hands on her neck. It looked like the 27-year-old was not expecting herself to win the toss as she did not have her choice ready.
The opposition captain and the officials burst into laughter as they looked Heartley contemplating on her decision. After a 3-4 second confusion. Thunder captain finally decided to put the Diamonds into bat first on what seemed like a good batting wicket. The cricketer herself posted the video on Twitter with a caption, "When you win the toss and have no idea if you want to bat or bowl first."
Should have batted: Alex Hartley
The decision did not turn out to be a great one as Diamonds went on to pile up a huge total of 294-5 in 50 overs. In reply, the Thunder ended up on 189/8 as they were comprehensively beaten by 105 runs at Emirates Riverside. With the win, the Diamonds booked their place in the knockout phase of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Following the defeat, English cricketer Kate Cross took a sly dig at the Thunder captain for her decision during the toss as she asked Hartley if she regretted it. Hilariously, Hartley admitted her mistake and replied, "Should have batted," with a sad emoji.