What happens if Saturday’s Big Bash League final is washed out?

Sydney Sixers would be crowned BBL champions by default if Saturday’s Big Bash League final is abandoned despite not finishing on top of the table. Here’s what needs to happen for a result to be achieved.

The Big Bash League title could be decided by a 45-minute slugfest with predictions of up to 50mm of rain to lash Sydney on Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has provided a grim forecast for Saturday night, when Sydney Sixers will host either Melbourne Stars or Sydney Thunder at the SCG.

The Sixers booked a home final at the SCG with victory over the Stars in the qualifier and will meet the victor of Thursday’s MCG final between Sydney Thunder and the Stars.

Sydney will be hit by heavy rain from Friday to Sunday, with up to 30mm predicted to fall on Friday and 20-60mm expected on Sunday.

BBL officials hope the storms can clear for at least 45 minutes, enough time for a five-over-a-side final.

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However, Saturday evening is tipped to be one of the worst periods for rain in Sydney.

“There’s probably more chance that there won’t be breaks than there is,” BOM meteorologist David Wilke said.

“What will be likely is we’ll have periods a bit more intense than other times. I don’t know if it will fully clear up and it will certainly be cloudy for the entire period.

“I wouldn’t be banking on it (45 minutes of play). By that stage on that Saturday we’re expecting the focus of the rainfall to be Sydney and south.”

Cricket Australia has resisted calls to move the final to Melbourne, which is forecast to be 30 degrees on Saturday.

At least five overs a side must be played for a result to be achieved.

If no result is possible, Sydney Sixers will be deemed BBL09 champion by default.

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“We certainly hope it doesn’t get to that. We need five overs per side in the playing conditions to constitute a game,” BBL chief Alistair Dobson told SEN.

“We’d love to think we could find 45 minutes in between the rain storms in Sydney on Saturday to get that done.”

Nine BBL matches have been impacted by weather this season, five of which have been in Sydney.

If any delay takes place in the first innings of the final, one over is lost for every four minutes of play missed.

They should have moved the BBL final to Melbourne. The season needs a big climax and I fear Sydney will get more rain than cricket. #BBL09

— Andrew Menczel 🏏 (@amenners) February 4, 2020

The prospect of a full forty over BBL final at the SCG on Saturday looks very bleak. It’s a sell-out with the bushfire all-star game scheduled as a curtain raiser.

The BOM’s rain forecast for Sydney later in the week:

Thursday 5-15mm
Friday 8-25mm
Saturday 8-25mm#BBL09 🏏

— Glenn Mitchell (@MitchellGlenn) February 4, 2020

Torrential rain forecast for Sydney & surrounds this weekend. This will affect the BBL final - if we know this, why can't the match be moved, say to the MCG? I really want to see a great match played for 20 overs each. #Cricket #cricketaustralia #sport

— Craig Turnbull (@craigturnbull_) February 5, 2020

Should the team batting first bat longer than the team batting second, their target would be calculated using the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Sixers paceman Josh Hazlewood said the host would be prepared for the possibility of a rain-affected final.

“The one thing we’re worried about is getting one of those five, six, seven over games,” Hazlewood said.

“We either probably want it completely washed out or get the full game in. That’s probably the only worry.

“It certainly is a bit of a lottery. If you have got five overs (and) a batter hits a couple of balls out of the ground, it’s sort of game over just about.

“Or one bowler bowls a good over it’s the same result. It is a bit of a lottery but that’s what it comes down to sometimes.”

Originally published as What happens if Saturday’s Big Bash League final is washed out?