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In a surprising turn of events, a delivery was adjudged dead ball by the umpire after Perth Scorchers’ batter Cooper Connolly hit the ball onto the roof. The incident took place during Perth Scorchers' clash against Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League on Monday, December 23. The left-hander batter hit the ball on to the roof straight over the pitch off a Kane Richardson’s delivery, which was adjudged as a dead ball by the umpire, according to the rules.
Scorchers had a horrible start in the game, and they were looking to get better for the side at a point of time. However, during the 10th over of the innings, Cooper Connolly miscued Richardson’s delivery and the ball went straight up in the air. While it returned to the ground after touching the roof, which led the bowler attempting a one-handed catch. According to the rules, if a fielder claims a one-handed catch after the ball hits the roof, the batter will be adjudged out.
Umpire adjudges delivery as dead ball after bowler fails to take catch
As the bowler attempted the dismissal, he not only failed to hold onto the skier, but also ended up injuring himself in the process. He had to be assessed by the physios, and the umpires decided to adjudge it a dead ball, leaving the earlier delivery null and void. Notably, the match took place at the Marvel Stadium, which has received criticism from players and pundits over the years.
Earlier, BBL scrapped the six rule for ball contact with the roof. A statement from BBL read, "Batters will no longer be automatically awarded six runs for hitting the Marvel Stadium roof under changes to Cricket Australia's playing conditions for the 2023-24 season.” It continued, “The new rule that will be in place for KFC BBL|13 beginning on December 7 will put it at the umpires' discretion to determine if the ball was going to clear the boundary. If they decide it was, they will award the batter six runs. If not, it will be ruled a dead ball.”
