Spicy pitch, rain rules in the firing line

DEBATE over how best to adjudicate and abridge rain-affected T20 cricket matches has been reignited after a sodden Sydney BBL derby.

Sydney Sixers’ innings was twice halted by showers on Saturday night, when they were skittled for 76 on a wet wicket at Olympic Park.

Sydney Thunder, having reached 2-28 from 5.3 overs when rain ended the chase, were declared four-run winners via the Duckworth-LewisStern

(DLS) method. A minimum of five overs per innings is required to constitute a T20 match.

The fickle nature of that margin and a spicy two-paced pitch, which prompted Ricky Ponting to suggest “there might have to be some questions asked about this wicket”, dominated post-match discussion.

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques, who asked umpires whether the pitch was ready after one midgame downpour, and Thunder counterpart Callum Ferguson agreed there should be a better way to deal with similar contests. “It is a lottery at times and we understand what it’s like to be on the other side of it,” Ferguson said.

“You’ve just got to make sure that Duckworth-Lewis is as fair as possible ... I just wonder whether five overs is enough time to really give you a genuine result. Maybe that’s something we could look at.

Henriques floated the idea of preemptively shortening wet-weather T20 games. “Rather than trying to get the maximum number of overs, if you want a more even contest then try to get both teams batting in the same conditions,” he said.

“If we both have to bat for 17, 18 overs right from the start ... or 13 or 14.

“But with nights like this you can’t predict when the rain comes as well, so that’s going to make it difficult.”

Henriques fumed on Saturday after his dismissal to a delivery that spat off the pitch violently.

“I did ask the umpires if the wicket was good enough to be batting,” Henriques said.