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Leather Stops wrote: Intrigued by an incident with Hurricanes yesterday afternoon. Archer hit the ball & ran two. As he grounded the bat , it deflected the ball which went to the boundary. He got SIX runs for that hit. Usually when a batsman is hit or the ball deflects off the bat there seemed to be a "gentleman's agreement that they wouldn't run. Anyone seen this before?

Yes it has happened many times before.
The gentleman's agreement is not to run any extra runs if the ball has hit the bat from the throw back to the stumps but if the ball then hits the boundary rope the umpire then has to call the 4...and if they had already run 2 it then becomes a 6.

Both Marshes back for the semi final tomorrow, will be intriguing to see the make up of the team. Shaun will obviously come in for Whiteman and Mitch for Agar but then that leaves the Scorchers without a spin option unless they throw young Morton to the wolves. Another alternative is for Voges and Mitch Marsh to share the 5th bowler role with Johnson, Richardson, Bresnan and Kelly to provide the fast/medium.
The Hurricanes worry me a bit as they have some potential match winners even though they have been inconsistent. D'Arcy Short's absence will help but they still have good batsmen in Doolan and Bailey who can anchor the innings as well as free scorers like Wade, Christian, McDermott, Milenko, Reardon and Paine. In the bowling department they have Archer who has been the find of the summer as well as Boyce and Rose who are both economical spin bowlers. They are a little weak in the bowling depth though and that may be where the Scorchers batting can take a toll on the 4th and 5th bowlers.
If the Scorchers can get through this game I would be very confident that they would have either the Strikers or the Renegades covered in the final. Both will have key players missing through injury or national selection.

Short out for Hobart is a big loss for them, going on what Paine did in the ODI v Eng, can't see him being a threat..... obviously the Marsh boys will bolster the Scorchers batting and surely Mitch will be good for 4 overs.... can't see the young spinner playing TBH. The Strikers with a few losses to the international T20 stuff will be working hard to make the final, for me Renegades v Scorchers final....at Optus or MCG?

The final will be at the venue of the highest placed winning team after the 2 Semi Finals Freeze.
That means the only way it could possibly be played at the MCG is if the Melbourne Renegades (3rd) and the Hobart Hurricanes (4th) both win their away semi finals vs Adelaide Strikers (2nd) and Perth Scorchers (1st).

Etihad Stadium is the Renegades home ground so wouldn't they want to play a home final there? Obviously they could get a lot more in if they played at the MCG. Hopefully the Scorchers will reduce that to a moot point later on today.

Have they changed the rules regarding the GF venue? i recall the Scorchers losing what was rightfully a home final and having to play over east. I think the powers that be over east cracked the shits over the Scorchers domination of the comp. Should always go to the highest ranked team to guarantee a big crowd. A neutral venue makes no sense at all.

Senior Seagull wrote: Have they changed the rules regarding the GF venue? i recall the Scorchers losing what was rightfully a home final and having to play over east. I think the powers that be over east cracked the shits over the Scorchers domination of the comp. Should always go to the highest ranked team to guarantee a big crowd. A neutral venue makes no sense at all.

I think that final in Canberra was more to do with TV and scheduling times. Channel 10 wanted a game that would be played in prime time in the East so took away the home final from the Scorchers. The policy was quickly reversed when the ratings were not as good as expected and the atmosphere in the ground was dead. So now the highest ranked team will always get the home game. Interesting that the 2 Sydney womens teams are having to play away games in the finals despite finishing 1st and 2nd becuase they are being played as double headers with the men's games

Yeah the final at Manuka Oval Canberra for a Scorchers vs Sixers Final was bizarre. Was the excuse for that venue being used around the WACA and SCG having to be unbranded for the upcoming World Cup or something similar? I think we ended up playing the Shield Final there or at Bellerive vs Vic too bizarre.

The Lady's have won and through to the final.So a great start to this fantastic moment.Remember last Sunday was a dead rubber. This is a BBL Semi-Final and possibly a Grand Final.For the men also.

Geez Mitch Marsh would want to bat well when he gets his chance. He is bowling some absolute crap at the moment, both sides of the wickets and no consistency with his length, makes it hard for a captain to set fields to that crap