BBL game between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers stopped by smoke
Heavy smoke has denied Sydney Thunder a Big Bash League victory over Adelaide Strikers.
Heavy smoke has denied Sydney Thunder a Big Bash League victory over Adelaide Strikers, with their chase halted in Canberra after 4.2 overs because of concerns about air quality and visibility amid the bushfires crisis.
The ladder-leading Thunder, set a target of 162, reached 1-40 when umpires stopped play at Manuka Oval on Saturday night.
The match was abandoned soon after, meaning the points were split as BBL rules dictate a minimum of five overs is required in the second innings to constitute a game.
The Thunder were comfortably ahead of the adjusted target, essentially falling four balls short of victory.
Thunder captain Callum Ferguson, who finished 27 not out, fumed when umpires Paul Wilson and Sam Nogajski told him they were halting play during Rashid Khan’s opening over.
“Callum’s out there – we’ve worked bloody hard, we’re probably going to win – with the emotion of it, he’s disappointed as we all are,” Sydney Thunder coach Shane Bond said.
“But you have to stop, take a breath and say losing a point is not the same as losing your house. There’s some perspective there.
“In the heat of the moment there’s always a little bit of emotion but you calm down and ultimately we take a point and played well, so we’re happy.”
The BBL confirmed ‘‘dangerous and unreasonable playing conditions’’ prompted the abandonment, with poor visibility believed to be umpires’ main concern.
It is the second season in a row the Thunder have been denied a victory because of events outside their control, coming after the power went out at the Gabba when they were poised to defeat Brisbane Heat.
Air Quality Index (AQI) data and players’ visibility was discussed at a pre-match medical briefing but officials decided conditions were good enough to play.
That proved the case as Adelaide compiled a total of 5-161, thanks largely to Jon Wells (55 not out), Alex Carey (45) and Jake Weatherald (42). But winds changed at the innings break and thick bushfire smoke soon covered the venue.
“It came in quite quick … we’ve got player safety we have to take into account. It’s pretty unprecedented,” Strikers coach Jason Gillespie said on Fox.
“It’s not just players, umpires and the like. We’ve got a lot of spectators here.
“These are the playing conditions in place, the umpires are just applying that.
“Being able to see the ball is pretty fundamental in our sport, but also the respiratory situation is something that needs to be considered.”
Daniel Sams had built a perfect platform for the Thunder to push for their third win of the season, at one stage boasting the remarkable figures of 2-9 from three overs.
Sams started the night by delivering the first maiden of the tournament then later snapped a 60-run stand between Carey and Weatherald, deceiving the latter with a slower ball that skittled the stumps.
Scorcher Mitch Marsh beats his brother
Justin Chadwick reports: Mitch Marsh has won the battle of the brothers after his explosive batting helped lead the Perth Scorchers to a 11-run win over the Melbourne Renegades at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Marsh, playing just his second match since recovering from a self-inflicted broken hand, smashed an unbeaten 56 off 22 balls to lift the Scorchers to 7-196 on Saturday night.
That knock heaped the pressure on his older brother Shaun Marsh. The 36-year-old produced the goods under pressure to score 55 off 38 balls, including four sixes.
Beau Webster was also in hot form with 67no off 37.
But it wasn’t enough, with the Renegades finishing at 6-185, leaving them winless after two games.
“I’m just rapt to get the win on the board,” Mitch Marsh said. “To be honest I didn’t want Shaun to get runs tonight. I can say that now.
“He’s such a dangerous player, so we knew he was a huge wicket for them.”
The match-up between the Marsh brothers was the big talking point leading into the match, and it didn’t disappoint in front of 23,869 fans. Shaun stunned the Scorchers at the end of last summer when he joined the Renegades on a three-year deal.
Some boos rang out around Optus Stadium when Shaun made his way out to bat. And the atmosphere was electric in the seventh over when Mitch brought himself on to bowl to his older sibling.
Shaun pushed a single in the only ball he faced against his brother that over, and he took up the attack to the other Scorchers bowlers to edge the Renegades closer to the victory target.
Marsh reached his half-century off 35 balls, but holed out in the deep off the bowling of Fawad Ahmed with the Renegades requiring 41 off 18 balls. That dismissal sparked the end for the Renegades, with Scorchers import Chris Jordan sending the crowd wild with a spectacular diving catch on the boundary to remove Dan Christian for a duck.
Earlier, Renegades paceman Kane Richardson produced his best BBL bowling figures on the way to 4-22 from four overs, which included a brilliant reflex catch to remove Ashton Agar.
But the Renegades were powerless to stop Mitch Marsh.
Cam Bancroft (51 off 37 balls) and Ashton Turner (36 off 26) put their Sheffield Shield woes behind them to give the Scorchers a solid platform.
Their knocks gave Marsh the perfect platform to unleash his magic, with the 28-year-old cracking five sixes off the last two overs of the innings. Richard Gleeson (1-49) and Harry Gurney (1-55) took the brunt of that pain, with Marsh ending the game with six sixes and a four to his name.
AAP
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