BBL 2020-21: What impact did the new rules have on the Big Bash League opener?
The tenth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) got underway on Thursday, as the Sydney Sixers and the Hobart Hurricanes played out an entertaining contest.
The Hurricanes began their season with a win, beating the last year's Big bash winners by 16 runs thanks to some exceptional death bowling by Riley Meredith, Nathan Ellis and Scott Bolland.
The rule changes for the BBL 2020-21 editiowere also put to use for the first time in the game, and it's fair to say that they had a big impact on the result.
While neither team used the X-Factor rule, which would have allowed them to make a substitution mid-way through the first innings, the other two rules certainly made a difference.
The Sydney Sixers won the Bash Boost after beating the Hurricanes' half-way total of 73/2 with ease. They were cruising with a score of 85/1 at the half-way stage, only to lose their way in the second half of the innings.
They will still get one point, while the Hurricanes will get three for winning the game.
Hurricanes make most of Power Surge in BBL opener
The Hobart Hurricanes were struggling at 96/4 after 14 overs when they took the Power Surge. They scored 25 runs in the next two overs, with Tim David going on to make a match-winning half century.
They finished at 178/8, a total that did not look possible before the two overs of powerplay.
On the other hand, the Sydney Sixers were cruising before they took the Power Surge in the 12th over. They managed only 18 runs in the two powerplay overs, falling apart after that.
Had they saved the Power Surge for a later period, their new batsmen could have made a bigger impact on the game. Instead, the Sixers only managed to get 45 runs in their final seven overs, losing five wickets and the game.