Cricket umpires pass the BBL smell test

As is appropriate for 2020, cricket has gone to a weird place as the umpires in last night’s BBL clash sported a slightly different look.

Now we've seen it all.

Does this pass the smell test?

In last night’s Big Bash League (BBL) season opener, which saw the Hobart Hurricanes beat the Sydney Sixers by 16 runs, cricket proved there is no place too obscure for advertisers to infiltrate as a deodorant brand spruiked its wears on umpires’ armpits.

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Cricket Australia announced a commercial partnership with Rexona this week and the company’s logo was particularly visible on Thursday any time the umpires raised their arms — to signal a six, give someone out or inform everyone the Power Surge was taking place.

What’s been dubbed the “pit-vertising” approach kicked up a bit of a stink as cricket fans reacted.

Lenore Taylor tweeted she was “not at all sure about this”, Sachin Kalbag said “this is not fake news” and Jack Mendel added the BBL “is becoming a parody of itself”.

Now we've seen it all.

The Sixers will be dirty with themselves for throwing away a golden opportunity to start this BBL season on a winning note.

They had Hobart 2/4 after just seven balls before Colin Ingram (55 off 42 balls) and Tim David (58 off 33) came to the rescue, propelling the hosts to 8/178 at the end of their 20 overs.

Left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis and veteran all-rounder Dan Christian both picked up three wickets but the highlight of the first innings was undoubtedly Jordan Silk’s spectacular boundary line save, where he dived full stretch, grabbed the ball one-handed and threw it back into the field of play to prevent a certain six.

In reply, Sydney wicketkeeper Josh Philippe was out for one in the first over before young opener Jack Edwards and Englishman James Vince steadied the ship.

But when they were out in consecutive overs, Edwards for a 39-ball 47 and Vince for 67 off 41 balls, the wheels fell off the Sixers’ chase.

They lost 5/37 and fell 16 runs short.