In an unusual incident at the Big Bash League match held at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Renegades’ bowlers Will Sutherland and Fergus O’Neill were removed from the bowling lineup for running on the pitch. This decision, made by umpire Donovan Koch, left the Renegades without two of their main bowlers against Brisbane Heat.
Will Sutherland was excluded from the attack just one ball shy of completing his third over, while Fergus O’Neill, who still had nine potential deliveries, faced a similar fate. This rare occurrence of two players being banned from bowling mid-innings created a unique situation in cricket.
To fill the gap, Renegades’ player Josh Brown, who has no prior experience as a bowler in his 37 T20 matches, stepped in. Brown delivered 2.4 overs, conceding 48 runs as the Heat scored 196 runs for the loss of four wickets in their 20 overs. This is recorded as the highest score achieved at the stadium this season.
Adding to Sutherland’s challenging day, he was hit for three consecutive sixes twice in the match — once by Jack Wood and later by Matt Renshaw. With a win, Brisbane Heat would secure a spot in the BBL finals, pending the outcome of the Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes game.
