Cooper Connolly’s skyscraper shot hits the ceiling, the refs call it a dead ball
Perth Scorchers batsman Cooper Connolly hits the ball on the roof of Marvel Stadium during the Big Bash League (BBL 2024-25) match against Melbourne Renegades. Cooper Connolly sent the ball straight up the pitch off the bowling of Kane Richardson, but the umpire declared it a dead ball.
The Melbourne Renegades won the toss and chose to bowl at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium on Monday 23 December. It took the Scorchers until the 11th ball of the innings to score a run in the powerplay. Finn Allen (0 for 3) and Keaton Jennings (9 for 12) were among the first batters to fall.
Wicketkeeper batsman Josh Inglis almost touched the roof but was caught by Jake Fraser-McGurk on the boundary. Inglis was dismissed cheaply by Will Sutherland, leaving the Scorchers with 3-28 after seven overs. The team’s batting situation worsened as they collapsed to 35/4 in 8.1 overs during the innings.
Cooper Connolly hits the ball on the roof but no runs are awarded
As the Scorchers tried to bounce back from a poor start, Cooper Connolly’s poor hit went straight up and hit the roof in the 10th over. Bowler Kane Richardson attempted a one-handed catch. According to the rules, if a fielder catches the ball with one hand after it touches the roof, the batter is out.
Richardson was unable to hold the catch attempt with one hand and was injured in the process. He was assessed by the physios and the umpires declared the delivery a dead ball.
Earlier, the batting team was awarded six runs when the ball touched the roof, but now the umpires have the authority to decide the outcome of the delivery based on where the ball made contact.
Watch the incident right here:
That one hit the roof 👀#BBL14 pic.twitter.com/1LZqOtIHTs
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 23, 2024
BBL removes the six automatic rules for roof contact in 2023
The Marvel Stadium roof has caused problems for both batsmen and fielders in the BBL as balls intended for sixes sometimes land inside the boundary. In other cases, simple catches are spoiled when the ball hits the ceiling.
To address this, Cricket Australia has changed the rules for the 2023-24 season. Under the new rule, batters will no longer be automatically awarded six runs for hitting the ceiling. If the umpires believe it would have cleared the boundary, six runs will be awarded; otherwise the delivery will be considered a dead ball.
“Batsmen will no longer be automatically awarded six runs to hit the roof of Marvel Stadium under changes to Cricket Australia’s playing conditions for the 2023-24 season,” read a BBL statement (via cricket .com.au).
The new rule which will be in place for the KFC BBL|13 from December 7 will put it at the discretion of the umpires to determine whether the ball was going to clear the boundary. If they decide it is, they will give the batsman six runs. If not, it will be considered a dead ball,” the statement continued.
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