This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Big Bash League decision-makers are weighing up whether there is a need to change the mechanism used to resolve tied games in the wake of England's dramatic and controversial World Cup final victory over New Zealand.
In a thrilling finish at Lord's, Eoin Morgan's side claimed the title on a boundary countback after both the regular 50-over match and super over were tied.
It was the first men's international in any format to be decided in such a fashion, prompting calls for administrators to come up with a better way to split finalists in such rare situations.
Cricket Australia officials watched the situation unfold with interest, given that tied BBL games are decided in a similar fashion.
The governing body has left open the prospect of changing the BBL rules to avoid such a scenario, saying it will seek feedback from clubs and broadcasters.
"There's lots of chatter about it," CA's head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said.
"It was an amazing game. If we could have a BBL season that could end with a tie and a super over, it'd be a great way to finish.
"It's available to be discussed with the clubs. We haven't locked it in either way.
"At the moment, it's a similar finish to what we saw in the World Cup and we'll work through that over the next period of time."
While there is a wide range of alternatives that could be adopted in place of a boundary countback, simply having further super overs looms as perhaps the most logical.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead suggested sharing the World Cup in the event of a tied final, after his side's agonizing defeat.
Former Black Caps allrounder Scott Styris went a step further, describing the International Cricket Council as a "joke".
Five teams will face off in a revamped Big Bash finals format aimed at rewarding the top finishers and adding intrigue to the end of the season.
Cricket Australia has unveiled fixtures for the 2019-20 season, with the finals reboot one of several measures targeted to winning back families.
Average crowds dropped in every state's capital city during the expanded 2018-19 campaign, which spanned almost two months and was widely criticized for running well beyond the school holidays into a February 17 decider.
The 2019-20 regular season will be played across 41 days between December 17 and January 27 – the final day of school holidays – with the last seven home-and-away games crammed into the Australia Day long weekend.
The finals will start on January 30 and run across two weekends, culminating in a Saturday night decider on February 8.
Teams finishing first and second will earn a double chance under the new format.
In eight BBL seasons, the minor premiers have only gone on to win the title once – in 2016-17 when the Perth Scorchers triumphed.
"The number-one element is to make it the best chance for the teams finishing first and second to make it through," CA's head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson said.
"It's an amazing quirk of history that the team finishing first at the end of the season has only won it once."
The teams that finish fourth and fifth will face off in a sudden-death clash, and – as is the case in the AFL – they would need to win four finals to claim the title.
A key concern last season was the short turnaround after the semi-finals which left little time to publicize the title decider.
CA has looked to resolve that issue by providing the team that earns grand-final hosting rights with a full week to prepare.
The governing body hopes condensing the season will maximize viewer interest and make the BBL more attractive to big-name international recruits.
With the exception of Christmas Day, games will be played every day between the start and finish of the regular season.
For the first time since 1994, there is no international fixture scheduled on Australia Day, leaving the BBL to fill the cricketing void.
Footnote:
The UK Government has rejected a petition asking for New Zealand to be joint-winners of the Cricket World Cup.
In a brief statement on the UK Government and Parliament website, it explained that the matter was out of their hands – meaning the trophy will stay solely in England's.
The petition pleaded that the Black Caps and England should share the Cup because of "a grave umpiring" error when England were given six runs for the overthrow incident.
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