Increasing pollution levels and the issue of wildfire across the country has put Cricket Australia on high alert ahead of the hosts’ remaining two Test matches against New Zealand in the ongoing series. Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to play the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting from Thursday.
Last week a match between Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder in the ongoing Big Bash League had to be abandoned due to low visibility and poor quality of air. Batting first, Adelaide Strikers posted a total of 161/5 in 20 overs without any interruptions. However, only 4.2 overs were bowled in the second innings before the match was called off. Both the teams had to share points.
The abandoned game saw Australian pacer Peter Siddle get treated for smoke inhalation. Air pollution has become a major concern in Australia with bush fires in several states. Cricket Australia is preparing a strategy to combat pollution from affecting matches.
“It’s a growing issue that we are seeing around the country, certainly Sydney and Canberra mainly. We’ve got a lot of data from the weather bureaus to say when things get dangerous, but what we are seeing is the visibility seems to be the most obvious thing. What we’re finding is it comes in quick but also goes quick,” Cricket Australia’s head of operations Peter Roach told reporters at the MCG when asked about the possibility of smoke affecting the matches.
Australia defeated New Zealand by 296 runs in the first Test after an impressive all-round effort. While Marnus Labuschagne was the star with the bat, the likes of Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon produced brilliant performances with the ball to script an emphatic win for the hosts.
