BBL 2018-19: Brendon McCullum slams Sydney Thunder for claiming points in floodlight-failure match

The 33rd match in this year’s Big Bash League (BBL) between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat at the Gabba in Brisbane turned out to be a controversial one. After the Thunder racked up 86 for four in 20 overs after winning the toss and electing bat first. Shane Watson, their experienced captain, came to the party and scored 100 runs from 62 balls with eight fours and six massive hits into the stands.

The Heat strained during the run-chase as they lost two early wickets in the form of Brendon McCullum and skipper Chris Lynn. The Heat were on 10 for two after three overs following which one of the floodlights at the venue went off. After a lot of speculations, the match was called off. The developments were much to the agony of the teams as the contest was poised for an exciting finish.

McCullum blasts the Thunder

In the meantime, Lee Germon, the Sydney Thunder General Manager mentioned that the game shouldn’t have been abandoned and it somewhat overshadowed Watson’s superlative century. Subsequently, the club requested Cricket Australia (CA) a couple of points for a win and said that the venue should have provided floodlighting and have a backup in case of a goof-up.

However, the demands haven’t gone down well with McCullum by any stretch of the imagination. The former New Zealand cricketer put forth the poor condition of the Spotless Stadium in Sydney. Moreover, the Black Cap also questioned whether the Thunder could’ve gone on to win the encounter.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “This is ridiculous. So @ThunderBBL you want points awarded based on ground standards? Where was the responsibility to provide a roof at Spotless Stadium when it pissed with rain a week ago? Also, are you sure you were winning that game??? …Craic on

Here is McCullum’s tweet

This is ridiculous. So @ThunderBBL you want points awarded based on ground standards? Where was the responsibility to provide a roof at Spotless Stadium when it pissed with rain a week ago? Also, are you sure you were winning that game??? …Craic on 🍀 pic.twitter.com/EcyIaIm9E0

— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) January 18, 2019

McCullum also got support from fellow teammate Lynn and Moises Henriques, who captains the Sydney Sixers in the T20 tournament.

Here are Lynn and Henriques’ reply

💪🏽 strong points my brother

— Chris Lynn (@lynny50) January 18, 2019

Precedent has been set when CA gave Victoria points in a game that never got going due to an apparent poor outfield claiming that it’s the home teams responsibility to provide a playable surface/fixture irrelevant of who may or may not win the game.

— Moises Henriques (@Mozzie21) January 18, 2019

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