A dangerously rain-affected wicket has abruptly ended the Scorcher’s opening clash against the Melbourne Renegades in Geelong, with the points set to be spilt.
Just a day after the Big Bash’s third match was rained out in Adelaide, fans were left disappointed as players were pulled off the field after just 6.5 overs of the Scorcher’s batting innings, with the pitch showing severe bounce off a good length after rain seeped under the covers over the weekend.
Geelong has faced a torrent of rain across the last two days, and staff were on the field ahead of the game with blow dryers attempting to bring the pitch up to scratch.
Renegades captain Nic Maddinson revealed ahead of the first ball the umpires had decided the pitch wouldn’t get any better and started play in the hopes the wet patch wouldn’t have an adverse impact.
However, it was clear just two balls into the game, the patch sitting on a good length, would play tricks as Stephen Eskinazi was given a brutal welcome back to Australian shores.
The Englishman was sent packing lbw on just the second delivery of the game after Tom Rogers got a straight one to kick out of the wet patch.
He chose not to review, and it appeared a good call live, but he would have been saved by height if he’d taken it.
Aaron Hardie faced a miserable first seven balls as the pitch played tricks before getting off the mark with a sketchy boundary to mid-wicket.
Cooper Connolly’s first crack at opening was short-lived, nicked off by Will Sutherland around the wicket on six after struggling to lay bat on the extreme bounce.
Josh Inglis was given a life by Quintin de Kock on three, and as the next ball ballooned off the pitch, he and Hardie turned to the umpires to take a stand.
Speaking to channel 7 as the umpires convened in the middle, Maddinson told commentators he felt the wicket was unsafe.
“That last delivery that we saw behave quite uncharacteristically and in our minds we thought it was dangerous so that was the reason for coming off,” umpire Ben Treloar told Channel 7.
Umpire Simon Lightbody said initially they were hopeful play could have continued.
“When we iniatially started we had a look at it and then until you start playing on it sometimes these things start presenting themselves,” he told Channel 7.
“After the first few overs we were quite hopeful it was going to go okay but then it just started to go and that last one was enough for us to think it was dangerous.”
It’s the first time in competition history a game has been abandoned for an unsafe pitch and it is also the only game set to be played in Geelong this season.