BBL 13: Geelong game abandoned due to unsafe surface

Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers Pitch. (Photo Source: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

In a dramatic turn of events, match No. 4 of the ongoing Big Bash League 2023/24 was abandoned, as the match officials labelled the surface as ‘unsafe’ to play. On the fifth ball in the seventh over, the match officials made their way out and took a wise decision not to continue the game further, citing the reason for uneven bounce in the pitch at the GMHBA Stadium, Geelong.

On Sunday, December 10, the fourth game was well underway after Renegades’ skipper Nic Maddinson won the toss and chose to bowl first. The decision seemed to have worked wonders as they struck early by sending two of the opposition batters back to the pavilion before the fifth over. While it felt that the conditions were not easy to bat, things got worse in the seventh over.

While Will Sutherland was bowling the seventh over, the pitch started to behave erratically. Sutherland bowled three different balls on the same length, but there was a huge difference in the amount of bounce in each instance. This is when the officials stepped in and took a collective decision to pause the game right away. Minutes after the pause, the game eventually got abandoned.

Speaking of the tournament, the Renegades were playing their second game of the season, whereas, the Scorchers stepped in for the first time. After losing the first game, it was important for Maddinson & Co. to bounce back stronger. And much to their delight, they got the perfect headstart, but much to their dismay, the surface at Geelong did one thing too many.

The game remains abandoned, and the next game will be played between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers on Monday, December 11 at Launceston.