Briggs, Botha subbed out in BBL first

Spin bowlers Danny Briggs and Johan Botha became the first players to be substituted out of a KFC BBL game under the new 'X-factor' rule, with both the Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes electing to strengthen their batting on a seam-friendly Launceston pitch.

While the rule had been ignored through the tournament's first seven games, Matthew Short (Strikers) and Mac Wright (Hurricanes) were brought into the game at the 10-over timeout.

Under rules introduced at the start of BBL|10, teams are now permitted to sub in their 12th or 13th listed player for a player named in the XI (as long they have not batted or bowled more than one over) at the 10-over mark of the game's first innings.

Briggs had sent down a sole over and was smashed for 15, while Botha had had no involvement in the game when he was subbed out.

"It (the pitch) has got a little bit more in it than we thought," Hurricanes coach Adam Griffith told Channel Seven. "It was hard work up front (against) the new ball."

Strikers captain Alex Carey told Channel Seven after the match that he had made the call to sub out Briggs for Short on tactical grounds.

"On that wicket I thought it was going to be difficult chasing," Carey said.

"To have that extra batter was going to be more important than having that extra finger spinner.

"I think we summed it pretty well. It's never easy for a guy to be subbed out of the game but Briggsy took it really well.

"It was my decision. I had it in the back of my mind if he we were bowling first … I went with my gut and I was happy with how it all turned out."

Both Short and Wright were quickly thrust into action.

Wright was at the crease only 11 balls after he had been subbed in and made 15 from 14 balls, while Short bowled the 15th over, conceding eight runs with his off-spinners.

Short did not add much to the Strikers' batting effort, with the right-hander dismissed for a golden duck, but by that point Adelaide had all but sealed a five-wicket victory.

Earlier in the game, Ricky Ponting on Channel Seven had been calling for the Strikers to become the first team to take the plunge.

“All the teams have been saying, ‘We’ll use it if we’re four down or five down early and sub a batsman out, bring a bowler in’," Ponting said.

“I think the Strikers might be able to do it in reverse here, maybe think about taking one of their spinners out and bringing a quick in.

“On what I’ve seen, if the Adelaide Strikers don’t use this X-factor, then I think they’ve made a mistake in the game. (It's a) tactical error if they don’t use it."