‘I think it’s a pretty bad rule’: Turner

Perth Scorchers' Ashton Turner, the latest batter to profit from KFC BBL playing conditions that award an automatic six for balls that hit a stadium's roof, has called for the rule to be axed.

While the Melbourne Renegades went on to claim a four-wicket victory, the hosts had every right to feel short changed when Turner was credited with a six after his skied slog flew straight up and struck Marvel Stadium's retractable roof.

Three fielders converged to take the catch, including wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman, suggesting Turner's miscue would have been caught or, at best, plugged in the outfield had the roof not intervened.

Bowler Dan Christian, who swiftly extracted his revenge when he had Turner caught the next ball, had the most cause to feel aggrieved but it was Turner himself who felt an injustice had occurred. 

"I think it's a pretty bad rule," Turner told cricket.com.au. "It saved me tonight … I think it's not fair.

"It should be a dead ball – you can't predict whether they're going to catch it, so there's no fairer outcome than a dead ball.

"It's a little bit different if you think it might have hit the roof over the boundary rope (but) it might be hard to detect where it's actually (going to land) and if it's going to go for six."

Turner's suggestion came with the caveat of "my job is to bat, not make these decisions", but it isn't a major departure what has previously been BBL policy.

When the competition begun in 2011, any ball that hit the Docklands Stadium roof was ruled a dead ball.

But when Aaron Finch was denied a certain six in 2012 that hit a retractable part of the roof, fan outrage saw Cricket Australia move swiftly to tweak the rules to differentiate between the retractable and fixed parts of the roof.

Australia batsman Mike Hussey also had a roof-hit called a dead ball during a one-day international at the ground in 2005.

The BBL regulations have since come full circle and the rule simplified so that a ball hitting any part of a stadium's roof is deemed a six, a rule change Finch himself benefited from in a match in 2014.

"It's a little bit annoying – I suppose if you're batting, you're happy, if you're bowling, you're a little bit annoyed about it," Christian told cricket.com.au.

The allrounder also pointed out the inconsistency with rules on 'Spidercam', or Fox Cricket's version of the technology dubbed the 'Flying Fox'.

The International Cricket Council's playing conditions deem any ball that hits the roaming cameras is a dead ball, as was the case when a shot from Glenn Maxwell struck the 'Flying Fox' in a match against India last month.

"It's an interesting rule, especially with something like the Spidercam which you have in the other international matches," Christian continued.

"If it hits that, it's a dead ball. If you hit this roof, it's a six.

'It's just the way it goes I suppose. We were just lucky we got Turner the next ball and he didn't get too with too many more."

In the corresponding match last season, a skied ball from Renegades allrounder Mohammad Nabi came within inches of hitting the roof - and being awarded six - before then Scorchers captain Adam Voges took an excellent catch to dismiss him.

The newly-named Marvel Stadium is Australia's only major cricket venue to have a roof and one of the few around the world. It takes less than 10 minutes to fully open or close and stands 38 metres above the turf.

Renegades debutant Sam Harper, who had been at deep square leg and was closing in on the catch when Turner's hoick went skywards, insisted the roof's benefits outweigh its drawbacks.

"It is what it is – it's great to be playing at Marvel and that comes with a roof," said Harper, who top-scored with a vital 25-ball 36 in a low-scoring contest.

"If it rains one day and we get a game, I'll cop six runs to the opposition."