On Sunday, the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades were set to face off in the fourth match of the Big Bash League (BBL) season 13, in Geelong. The Renegades had lost their opening game by 8 runs on December 8 against Syndey Sixers, while this was the Scorchers' first match of the season.
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Renegades captain Nic Maddinson won the toss and chose to field first, with star South African batter Quinton de Kock joining the squad for this match. They struck early as Tom Rogers trapped Stephen Eskinazi LBW off the second ball, before Will Sutherland removed Coper Connolly in the fifth over.
Why was the match between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers abandoned?
With the Scorchers struggling at 30/2 in the seventh over, on-field umpires Ben Treloar and Simon Lightbody got together to have a chat before requesting the players to leave the field.
It soon emerged that the players had raised concerns over the state of the pitch, with the inconsistent bounce potentially proving dangerous to the batters especially.
Three deliveries in particular during the seventh over led to the umpires taking the decision to pull the players off, as one specific patch on a good length outside the right-hander's off-stump was deemed most dangerous.
🗣️ "Is it safe?"
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 10, 2023
🗣️ "Probably not."
The game has been delayed due to the condition of the pitch, with this ball being the last straw...#BBL13 pic.twitter.com/WV6zDRMsnH
The lead-up to the game had been dominated by the weather conditions in Geelong, with a storm on Saturday proving particularly problematic. It turned out that water had seeped under the covers at the venue, affecting the pitch. Despite these concerns the game had gone ahead as planned before being abandoned.
Due to the abandonment, both sides were awarded one point each. The Scorchers' next match is on December 13 against the Melbourne Stars while the Renegades will play the Brisbane Heat on December 21.
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