Here's what happens if rain affects any of the knockout BBL clashes still to come
Big Bash finals: bad weather scenario
UPDATE
The coin toss for the Rebel Women's Big Bash League semi-final at the MCG has been delayed due to rain.
The match between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Sydney Sixers was due to begin at 2.40pm AEDT, but further assessments will take place.
The toss in the #WBBLSemi at the @MCG has been delayed due to rain, with further assessments to take place. Match must start by 4.31pm.
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 22, 2016
The game can begin as late as 4.31pm, with five overs per side needed for a result. Should the game be washed out, the Hobart Hurricanes will advance to Sunday's final due to their higher finish on the WBBL|01 ladder.
Earlier:
With the possibility of bad weather affecting Friday night's semi-final between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the question of 'what happens in the event of a washout?' has been a regular one to arise.
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Firstly, a match will only be considered abandoned if there is a failure to complete a minimum of five overs in each innings.
If that's the case, the high-ranking team will progress to the final – in this case, Melbourne Stars, who leapfrogged the Scorchers into second spot with a dramatic victory in Perth last Saturday night.
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The official BBL playing conditions handbook explains: "In circumstances where a result is not possible in a semi-final then the team which finished higher on the points table at the completion of all preliminary matches shall qualify for the final."
The same situation applies in the final – that is, in the event of a washout, the higher-ranked team lifts the trophy.
The official BBL playing conditions handbook explains: "In circumstances where a result is not possible in a semi-final then the team which finished higher on the points table at the completion of all preliminary matches shall qualify for the final."
The same situation applies in the final; in the event of a washout, the higher-ranked team lifts the trophy.
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Scorchers coach Justin Langer was all too aware his team had thrown away a potential advantage with defeat to the Stars in the final round of the regular season.
"The forecast isn’t great but there's nothing we can do about that," Langer said. "Hopefully in the four hours or so (scheduled for play) we can get at least five or 10 overs into the game – that’s all we need for a game, so we'll see how we go.
"Obviously for the spectacle of it all we all want to play cricket … everyone's told me the weather is always unpredictable in Melbourne so hopefully we get a whole game in.
"At the end of the day if the worst happens and it rains and the Stars get up because we don't play, then it's our fault.
"It's as simple as that."
Rain has played its part in previous Big Bash semi-finals, with the Scorchers prevailing in BBL|02 and BBL|03 against the Stars and Sixers respectively.
"At the end of the day we've been on probably the upside of the rain over the last few years; that semi-final against the Stars a few years ago when it became Duckworth-Lewis (method to decide result) and Shaun Marsh had an amazing over off Alex Keath (taking 27 runs)," Langer added.
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"And a year later against the Sixers, we almost couldn't go back on the ground. I don't know how the groundsman got us back on the ground that night."
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