BBL: Why do Big Bash League captains flip a bat instead of flipping coin during the toss?

Australian cricket broke away with a 141-year old tradition by introducing a ‘bat flip’ for the 2018-19 season of Big Bash League (BBL). Instead of captains yelling “heads” or “tails” during a coin toss, BBL skippers now have to choose between “hills” or “flats”. The move was implied by BBL officials in an attempt to attract attention and focus of the audience before the game even commences.

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Why toss made way for a BBL bat flip?

Talks of completely removing the coin toss from the cricketing equation have been circling around over the past few years. Even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) discussed the same in May 2018. According to them, the decision of fielding or batting first is not fair to be determined through a simple toss of a coin. Since the hosts already enjoy home advantage, there were talks to give visiting team the power to take such decisions in order to even up the odds a bit. Even though BBL did eliminate the coin toss factor, they only replaced it with another aspect that to an extent gives skippers the same chance which they get during a toss.

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According to Cricket Australia’s head of Big Bash League, Kim McConnie, the introduction of ‘bat flip’ in BBL games is a reflection of what the tournament is all about. She said that flipping a bat to determine which team will bat first has been a part of Australian backstreet cricket for many years. Even though Kim McConnie admitted that people usually are not open to any kind of change, she also emphasised that audiences have stopped taking interest in coin toss proceedings as no one really focuses on it anymore.

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The introduction of BBL Bat Flips eventually turned out to be a successful one. People have started taking interest in the pre-game proceedings between captains. According to Kim McConnie, the movement is more relevant to families and much more fitting for young fans.

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A cricket bat is not ideally suited for a 50-50 per cent chance for either side during a flip. However, the bats used in BBL matches are modified in a way to promote an even result. Check out a video of BBL bat flip from one of its most recent matches down below.

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Image Credits: Twitter handle of Big Bash League