Big Bash League introduces DRS, innings clock and ditches Bash Boost point and X-Factor as part of overhaul

Decision Review System technology will finally be introduced for the 12th season of the Big Bash League this summer, with some of the tournament’s maligned gimmicks also axed as part of the revamp. Teams will have one unsuccessful review each per innings, though they will hold onto it if the outcome is ‘Umpire’s Call’. Ultra Edge technology, also known as Snicko, and ball tracking will be available, but there will be no Hot Spot for the TV umpire to use. The introduction of DRS will be accompanied by a time crackdown via an ‘innings clock’, with the bowling team limited to four fielders outside the circle, rather than five, if their allotted time expires. Teams will be given 79 minutes, plus any allowances, to begin bowling the last over in an effort to drag the length of the Twenty20 games back down to about three hours. Cricket Australia has also dumped the Bash Boost and X-Factor rules implemented for the past two seasons, with BBL boss Alistair Dobson conceding they hadn’t worked. The Power Surge innovation, leaving two Powerplay overs to be called on by the batting team during the second half of the innings, will be retained and extended to the WBBL. A Bash Boost bonus point was awarded to the team leading at the 10-over mark, while the X-Factor allowed teams to substitute a player at the 10-over mark of the first innings. While the sub rule was rarely deployed by teams, Perth Scorchers almost used it in their famous win in last season’s final against Sydney Sixers. Scorchers coach Adam Voges filled out an X-factor form after they slumped to 4-25 in the sixth over, sacrificing a bowler so they could bring in all-rounder Aaron Hardie in an attempt to post a defendable score. Perth decided to hold off submitting the form until a fifth wicket fell and the brilliant rescue act by Ashton Turner and Laurie Evans meant it was not required. The introduction of DRS comes after years of high-profile bloopers from BBL umpires that were quickly revealed by TV replays but were not able to be challenged. Dobson said it had taken several years of work to get DRS technology ready for the BBL. “Implementing DRS has been a challenging task for the BBL, which is the most logistically complex T20 league in the world,” he said. “That, plus the impact of the pandemic on travel and movement, have meant the technology has not been possible to introduce until this season.” DRS will be used in all BBL matches and some WBBL games. Evans was pleased Australia was following other domestic competitions with the introduction of DRS. “This game is moving forward quicker than a lot of people realise and there’s a lot on the line for a lot of people and an individual decision can change a career,” he said. “I think a competition of this magnitude needs to have everything available to it and should be played at the highest level possible. So the DRS is one of those things that we’re getting used to now as players around the T20 circuit, so it’s a great decision to have it.”