Geelong (Australia): The Big Bash League (BBL) game between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers on Sunday saw a bizarre sequence of events and the match was called off due to an unsafe pitch by the on-field umpires. There was some overnight rain at the venue and the water had seeped under the covers. Both sides were concerned with divots on the surface caused due to water-logging.
Despite the initial concerns, the toss took place and Renegades captain Nic Maddinson chose to bowl first. The uneven bounce on offer was evident right from the start as the batting side faced two early setbacks at the start of the innings. Also, all-rounder Aaron Hardie faced challenges from the initial moments as he struggled to connect his shots due to unpredictable bounce. The turning point came in the seventh over when Scorchers' batter Josh Inglis sustained a blow in the groin while facing a delivery which shaped back in from bowling all-rounder Will Sutherland.
However, another delivery which compelled the on-field umpires was faced by the same batter and it ballooned over his bat after pitching in full length. The batter showed his disappointment immediately after the delivery towards umpires Ben Treloar and Simon Lightbody. Subsequently, the match was called off due to unsafe playing conditions.
"The last delivery behaved uncharacteristically, it behaved dangerously and we were forced to halt play. We had a look at the pitch, it didn't seem unplayable, we've seen such divots previously as well. We've got a few processes, some follow-up, we consulted and came up with the final decision," the on-field umpires stated.
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