BBL: How power surge changed how teams played the game, data reveals best bowlers, teams

The power surge makes the BBL different to T20 leagues across the world, and the man behind the unique rule says he loves that, after five years, teams are none the wiser about how to use it.

The man behind the BBL’s power surge says he loves that five years after it was first introduced, teams are none the wiser about the best tactics to use.

The power surge - the two-over period chosen by the batting team where only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle - was one of three Big Bash League rule changes which came into effect in 2020.

The other rules - the X-factor player and Bash Boost point - have since been axed.

But the power surge has remained a unique part of Australia’s T20 competition, offering a game-changing opportunity for captains and batters to launch a 12-ball blitzkrieg.

“I feel like games are top heavy without it. Games can just meander,” Trent Woodhill, Cricket Australia’s high performance innovation consultant, said.

Trent Woodhill pioneered the power surge. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

“In this situation there’s a risk. You take it too early, you go too hard, you lose wickets and you could put yourself out of a game.

“Other times you feel like you want to take it to ice a game and then other times it’s like, ‘we’ll keep it up our sleeve because we’re going to need it’ and you might take it too late.

“The beauty of it at the moment, I don’t think teams still fully know when to take it.”

Woodhill, who pioneered the power surge, is right.

Exclusive analysis of BBL14 data reveals overs 15-16 are the most likely for teams to activate their power surge.

Out of 49 surges used in BBL14 games to January 10, 28 started during that period.

“If you’re batting and you’re thinking about taking it, you’ve already left it too late,” Woodhill said.

Perth Scorchers have been the masters of the surge with the ball, taking an average of 1.4 wickets and only conceding 15.8 runs to January 10 in BBL14.

Jhye Richardson and Scorchers teammate Jason Behrendorff have made the franchise the best defenders of the surge. Picture: Getty Images

That is well below the competition average of 21.2 runs conceded per power surge.

Quicks Jhye Richardson (7.3 runs an over, three wickets) and Jason Behrendorff (9 runs an over, 4 wickets) have made the Scorchers the benchmark of defending the surge.

“You’ve just got to be adaptable and whoever the best match up is at the time is the right guy,” Renegades captain Will Sutherland said.

“With our bowling attack as well, we’re quite versatile, so just trying to get the right call on the night.”

Renegades skipper Will Sutherland said teams had to be adaptable. Picture: Getty Images

Former Strikers coach Jason Gillespie said he was surprised more teams didn’t hold their surge back to ensure four overs of power hitting with fielding restrictions at the back end of an innings.

“I would take the surge at overs 17 and 18 every single game,” Gillespie said.

“The reason I say that, regardless, is because that’s your last four overs with only two (fielders) out.

“At the end of the innings when you’re going hard anyway, it makes sense to have an extra three men inside the circle to capitalise. I just think there’s more risk taking it early.

“You know the best bowlers are going to come back.”

However, most teams have gone against Gillespie’s theory this summer, with only six of the 49 surges starting at over 17 or later.

“If you take it really early, like 11th or 12th over, you do run the risk of what we have seen. It’s happened too often to be a coincidence,” Gillespie said.

The coincidence he refers to is teams taking the surge, only to stifle their own momentum by losing wickets.

There have been several examples of exactly that in BBL14.

Melbourne Stars were 3-116 off 10 overs against Sydney Sixers, took the surge and only managed 1-16 off those two overs.

From a position where a score above 200 seemed inevitable, the Stars lost 6-78 from their last 10 overs and went down by eight wickets.

“The next phase of this will be teams going, ‘we’re not getting this right. Maybe we’re overcomplicating it or putting to much faith in our batters to hit boundaries’,” Woodhill said.

“Are the batters trying to do too much? Who’s owning it? How do we replicate that?”

Only 30 per cent of the power surges in BBL14 have passed without a wicket falling.

Multiple wickets have fallen 11 times.

Stars captain Marcus Stoinis said teams had to be fluid and adapt their surge timing to game situations.

Stars captain Marcus Stoinis. Picture: Getty Images

The Stars have started their surge at different times in each of their eight BBL14 games with varying levels of success.

“Early on in the tournament we looked to attack with it but we lost wickets, so that ended up putting a bit of a dampener on momentum we were creating,” Stoinis said.

“Then the other night for us (against Brisbane Heat), we tried to push their quicks that wanted to come back that were threatening, we tried to push them as late as possible.

“It is an interesting part of the game. Ideally you’ve got in batters and they have got the freedom to pick when they want to take it.”

A well-timed surge can change the complexion of a game in a matter of minutes.

Brisbane Heat were on the ropes at 3-43 when Max Bryant joined Matt Renshaw in the middle for their recent fixture against Sydney Thunder.

Less than two overs later, at the start of the 11th over, the Heat hit the button on their surge.

Momentum shifted when Bryant and Renshaw took 20 runs off Wes Agar’s over and then 12 runs off Lockie Ferguson, providing the impetus for a stirring five-wicket victory.

Max Bryant and Matt Renshaw showed how a well-timed surge could change a game in minutes. Picture: Getty Images

Teams who have used their surge before the last five overs have enjoyed the greatest success in BBL14.

Surges which comprised overs 13 and 14 have averaged 26.5 runs, while those which were used immediately after the 10-over break have averaged 22.6 runs.

At the opposite end of the scale, surges which started in the 16th over have only averaged 19.6 runs.

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson said teams were often their own worst enemy in the power surge.

“For those two overs it seems like the batters who are in, they’re trying to get 36 off every over and it’s just absolute chaos. I don’t get it,” Watson said.

“With only two fielders out you’ve just got to play really good cricket shots because there’s boundaries galore on offer.

“That’s what I just don’t understand, when it becomes so hectic when it doesn’t need to be because the bowler is under extreme pressure.”

Watson disagreed with the theory of leaving the surge as late as possible, instead advocating for an aggressive tactical approach.

“You don’t want to lose a few wickets and then not be able to capitalise on it,” he told Fox Cricket.

“I’d prefer teams get in a little bit earlier so then they have got their best batters taking it on instead of maybe losing a couple of wickets at the wrong time then having to try and find a way to get some momentum back.”

Originally published as BBL: How power surge changed how teams played the game, data reveals best bowlers, teams