Brisbane Heat got 5 run penalty after Amelia Kerr's attempt to catch the ball with a towel

The Women Big Bash League 2023 is going on, and in the recent match of the Sydney Sixers vs. Brisbane Heat, spectators not only saw a thrilling encounter between the two teams where the Sydney Sixers beat Brisbane Heat by six wickets, they also got to learn a rule of the ICC, which was kind of new to many of them. It was the 10th over when Sydney Sixers’ were chasing the target of 177 runs. Amelia Kerr of Brisbane Heat was at the bowling end, and Sydney Sixers’ Ashleigh Gardner hit the ball delivered towards long on for a single. The fielder threw the ball towards Kerr, and she tried grabbing it when a towel was in her hands, which resulted in a 5-run penalty for Brisbane Heat.

As per the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) rules:

“No fielder other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. In addition, protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the consent of the umpires. If a fielder uses his/her clothing with his/her hands and uses this to field the ball, then the umpire shall award 5 Penalty runs to the batting side.”
MCC Rule

Brisbane Heat’s Amelia Kerr in the first inning scored 64 runs off 44 balls, and Mignon du Preez scored 42 runs, which helped their team put a total of 176/7 on the board. In reply, the Sydney Sixers reached the target of 177 runs in the ultimate over of the match with 1 ball to spare. Brisbane Heat have 14 points in their 13 games and are currently ranked number four in the points table. There are chances that they will reach the finals of the WBBL in 2023. The Sydney Sixers are two points behind the Heat, and the last-season finalist would try to win their last game of the league stage to make it to the playoffs.