On Monday, Cricket Australia decided to announce three new rules for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) with the ‘power surge’ and ‘Bash Boost’ coming in alongside the ‘x-factor player’ as per the reports of Fox Sports. The introduction of the ‘power surge’ will mean that the initial powerplay will only last for four overs. The batting side keeps a two-over allotment – the ‘power surge’ – of fielding restrictions up its sleeve to call upon in the final 10 overs.
Four competition points will now be available each game, with three automatically going to the winner and a bonus point – the ‘Bash Boost’ point – going to whichever side had the higher score at the 10-over mark. The final innovation, the ‘x-factor player’, will see teams name 13 players rather than 11 during the toss. At the 10-over mark of the first innings, teams will be able to substitute either their 12th or 13th man on, as a replacement of either a batsman who has not faced a ball yet or a bowler who hasn’t more than an over.
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They are three big changes brought to the league under the guidance of Trent Woodhill, the BBL’s player acquisition and cricket consultant. Describing the same, he said, “Take the ‘power surge’ for example, which leaves captains and coaches with a new tactical quandary to get their heads around and bowlers having to be prepared to perform different jobs.”
He further added, “There will be a sense of anticipation from the viewer over when this two overs is coming but also the playing group. It also means more tactical awareness around bowling changes – around who is left and who can bowl in that power surge to deal with that real threat.”
Woodhill is hoping that it will have other knock-on effects too. Alongside keeping games alive longer by negating the impact of a rough start, he sees it benefiting Australia’s next generation of batsmen. Having a 12th and 13th man means there is a decision to be made over who is called upon. Leaving only one point in the game for that call to be made means the decision can be expected to have a bigger impact than just shaping one or two overs.
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Explaining the same he said, “I want coaches making decisions and being under pressure, not being able to say ‘well I’ve done my job, it’s up to the team now. That is a gutsy call for both coach and captain and we want to see the coach under pressure.”
Likewise, the bonus points after the first 10 overs in the second innings will be igniting some tactical battle, and it’ll also weigh up the costs that pursuit could have on their hopes of victory.
