BBL 2018-19: The bat flip goes horribly wrong

We’ve been witnessing a host of innovation and changes in the game every few months. The character of the game has undergone vast changes over the years and now, even the toss has undergone a change. In the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, they are using bats instead of coins to determine the toss and it also leads to bizarre outcomes at times, just as it happened in the game between holders Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers in Perth on the Boxing Day.

Scorchers captain Ashton Turner came out for the flip with his Strikers counterpart Colin Ingram but it remained inconclusive in the first attempt since the bat landed on its side. The two captains and the officials were left amused and as the match official tried to pick the bat, Turner rushed in to jokingly turn it on the side that favoured him. The bat was then taken up for a second flip by Turner and this time it landed rightly and the Scorcher captain won the toss clearly this time.

He decided to bowl first, a decision that he would rejoice for a long time as the home team bundled the defenders for a paltry 88 in 17.2 overs despite the Strikers getting a decent start with 25 runs for the opening wicket. They slipped to 46 for 7 in no time before a couple of 21s by Cameron Valente and Rashid Khan helped the Strikers avoid their worst score of 87. Pacer Jhye Richardson was the pick of the Scorcher bowlers with three wickets for seven runs in three overs.

Scorchers win game by 7 wickets

The Scorchers overhauled the target losing three wickets but they took 18 overs to complete their task. Skipper Turner played a slow inning of 24 off 46 balls. It was the Scorchers’ first win of the season in their third match, elevating them by quite a few notches while for the Strikers, it was the second successive defeat in three games. Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes have won both their games so far with Sydney topping the table with the best net run rate.

Watch the video here

Well that’s a first! Ashton Turner won the bat flip the second time around and elected to BOWL #BBL08 pic.twitter.com/fQoaqz0fp9

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 26, 2018

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