This will probably never/rarely happen in international tournaments, but for regional or club tournaments that are actually officiated, usually the shuttle change happens less often. So what if you asked the umpire to change the shuttle and he/she turned you down, and on the following rally a feather breaks off and the shuttle drastically slows down or starts spinning mid-rally? Would that be a let and replay the point or just keep playing the point until someone wins it?
the only related rule is this. but this doesn't apply here. since no other rules applies, the rally continues.
This has happened to me before. Unfortunately when it happened was 20-19 down in the 3rd game of our doubles league match.:crying: We had been forced into lifting and were defending some smashes, the shuttle was fairly new, maybe 6-7 rallies old. I played a really high defensive lift, and our opponent smashed, quite hard, but it was easy to deal with, but then one of the feathers broke outwards, pretty much stopping the shuttle dead and leaving me swinging at nothing as the shuttle went from being a decent smash to stopping before reaching my racket. I was so angry, we had lost a match that we had been in control of the whole way through and had held match points in game 2. To lose it in such a manor when I would have returned the smash and hopefully won the rally and the match. No let nothing, match lost.
The rally continues unless, stated by kwun, the cork separates from the rest of the shuttle. Then, you can ask again for a change of shuttle.
If you were in control the whole way through, then what were you doing 19-20 down in a third game? Yes, it's frustrating when a rally is spoiled by a bad shuttle, same as it's frustrating when there's a bad line call or a lucky net cord for the other side. But it's only one point out of, what, maybe 100 rallies in a close three game match? If you'd done better in those other points, then you wouldn't have been in that situation.
Well we were 15-10 up or something like that and I think 20-18 up in the second game, we lost cause we made too many easy mistakes at the wrong time, and allowed them to get too close. Thing is, to lose it on a net cord then I would accept that as at least it was legitimate. Losing a rally particularly at a crucial stage by the shuttle breaking is frustrating to say the least...