The unfortunate incident occurred on January 9 (Thursday) when James Vince injured a seagull with a powerful blow during a match between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars. It was the 10th over of the game bowled by Joel Paris, a left fielder.
Vince came down the track to a longer length ball around the wicket towards Paris and smashed it with tremendous power over the non-striker’s head. The ball looked like it should have gone for a four, but unfortunately it hit a seagull on its way near the long-on boundary.
The bird immediately fell to the ground, flapping its wings in pain as feathers spread across the field. James Vince looked disgusted after hitting the ball straight at the seagull.
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Watch: James Vince’s powerful shot injures a seagull
Seagull down 💀 and couldn’t save the boundary. #BBL pic.twitter.com/cfEoSmfKPV
— GrandmasterGamma (@mandaout12) January 9, 2025
When the ball bounced, it went to the boundary ropes, but that didn’t matter to the players and spectators. The Melbourne Cricket Ground grounds staff arrived later and took the seagull with them.
James Vince top scorer for Sydney Sixers
James Vince top scored for his team and finished with 53 off 44 balls with 6 fours. He was dismissed in the 14th over of the match and his dismissal triggered a collapse in which the Sixers lost three wickets for just one run.
Earlier, Sydney Sixers won the toss and took the field first. Stars were rocked early as they lost wicketkeeper Sam Harper in the second over of the match. They were reduced to 60-4 in the 10th over on a tough batting pitch.
However, Glenn Maxwell seized the opportunity and played his best knock of the season. He found an able partner in Beau Webster, who continued his good form from his Test debut against India to score a fine 48 off 41 balls.
Glenn Maxwell leads Melbourne Stars to incredible victory
Maxwell remained unbeaten till the end and scored 58 off just 32 balls. He hit 5 fours and 3 sixes during the knock. Sean Abbott was the pick of the bowlers for the Sydney Sixers and finished with 30-9 in 4 overs.
In reply, Sydney Sixers got off to a quiet start but the Melbourne Stars bowlers didn’t let the game slip away at any stage keeping the run rate in check. Wicketkeeper Josh Philippe was dismissed early and Kurtis Patterson and Moises Henriques could not continue after good starts.
None of the batsmen except James Vince could make a significant contribution as they were reduced to just 140-9 in 20 overs. Fast bowler Mark Steketee finished with 3-14 for the Stars, while Peter Siddle and Usama Mir finished with two wickets each.
It was a big win for the Melbourne Stars as they entered the match as underdogs. The Sydney Sixers slipped to second after the loss, while the Melbourne Stars moved one place above the last-placed Adelaide Strikers.
