The 12th edition of Big Bash League is begun and the tournament has already started to provide some insane moments from match 1. The first match between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder saw some brilliant bowling displays and stunning fielding efforts from both sides.
The first ball of the last over saw Brody Couch leap in the air to pluck out one of the best catches in BBL history to dismiss a dangerous-looking Chris Green. The Aussie all-rounder smashed Beau Webster towards the long-off region.
Watch the video here:
OH MY GOD BRODY COUCH!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 13, 2022
WHAT AN INSANE CATCH!#BBL12 pic.twitter.com/9io2X1OqER
Couch also took a wonderful catch on the first ball of the innings to dismiss the opener, Matthew Gilkes. The Stars already suffered a big blow with the loss of their skipper Glenn Maxwell due to a freak injury in which he fractured his foot. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa took over the captaincy in Maxwell’s absence this season.
What a way to start the tournament!
The opening game between these two teams will go down in history as one of the best low-scoring games. After winning the toss Thunder opted to bowl first and displayed a brilliant bowling performance. Not a single Stars’ batter could stay on the pitch for a little longer as they were losing wickets continuously. Stars ended up their innings on 122 runs after losing 8 wickets in 20 overs
Chasing the target of 123, Thunder too had a bad start as they lost their two batters initially when the team’s score was 0. No one really impressed with the bat from Thunders as they were kept losing wickets. However, Gurinder Sandhu held his nerve as Sydney produced a frantic one-wicket victory over Melbourne on the last ball in a low-scoring thriller to launch the BBL season. Chasing a modest 123, Thunder’s chase imploded due to reckless batting, and they appeared down and out several times against a pumped-up Stars attack on a tricky Manuka Oval surface.
