The finals of the Big Bash League (BBL) and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) could possibly have multiple super overs, as Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday made changes to the tournament rules to avoid a situation like the ICC Men's World Cup final this year.
CA has scrapped the boundary countback rule that had been in place for both the men's and women's Big Bash competitions previously.
Under the new rules, if two teams are tied at the end of a final and then again after a super over, subsequent super overs will be played until there is a clear winner.
The ICC Men's World Cup final between England and Australia had ended up as a tie after both 50-over action and super over concluded as a tie. After that England was announced as the winner having scored more boundaries than New Zealand in the match.
This boundary countback rule was criticised by many players all over the world.
"The super over has been a discussion point globally after the ICC Cricket World Cup final. The WBBL04 semi-final between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades gave us valuable insight into the feelings of teams and fans towards Super Overs," CA's Head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said in an official statement.
"We hope that allowing for multiple Super Overs in WBBL and BBL Finals will provide our teams and fans with the best possible experience. We look forward to another competitive season for both leagues and believe we have a strong system in place should a nail-biting knockout match arise," he added.
The new rule will apply to all matches in the finals series. A tied super over in a regular-season game will see the points split between the teams.
Regular season games still tied after a super over were previously decided by a boundary countback.
The new playing conditions will now allow for an "unlimited amount" of super overs in finals, but CA will limit the number of available super overs if there are unavoidable time restraints.
While CA has learned from the World Cup this year, it is expected that the ICC will keep the boundary countback rule for upcoming women's T20 World Cup.
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