Bushfires call a halt to Big Bash encounter

SMOKE from bushfires raging across eastern Australia prompted match officials to abandon yesterday’s Big Bash League cricket match in Canberra over what they called ‘dangerous and unreasonable playing conditions’.

Chasing 162 for victory against Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Thunder were 40-1 in the fifth over when the contest was halted because of lack of visibility and poor air quality caused by smoke.

‘After a delay, officials deemed conditions were unsuitable for play to resume,’ BBL said in a statement.

Sydney captain Callum Ferguson was upset at being stranded four balls away from victory, with his side already past the five-over target.

Umpire Paul Wilson said there was no way they could have gone ahead with the contest.

‘I understand that the Thunder have four balls to go. We can’t take that into consideration,’ Wilson told Fox Cricket after play was halted. ‘It’s about air quality. We would not have started (the match) like this.’

Close to 100 fires were burning across Australia’s eastern state of New South Wales yesterday, of which six were characterised as ‘emergency level’.

Earlier this month, players complained of ‘toxic’ conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Queensland that was blanketed in a smoky haze.

Australia’s sports federations were forced to postpone a number of youth matches across New South Wales two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer (above) and Jack Leach all made a tentative return to the nets after Ollie Pope smashed 132 on day two of England’s final warm-up match against South Africa A.

The trio have been floored by a flu-like illness and their inability to take the field has thrown preparations for the St Stephen’s Day Test in Centurion up in the air.

They have been quarantined from the rest of the group to minimise risk of the problem spreading but arrived in Benoni midway through yesterday’s play, while their teammates were fielding.

Pace bowlers Archer and Broad looked under the weather as they arrived at Willowmoore Park but managed 10 minutes of bowling in draining afternoon heat. Both men later returned to bat, while left-arm spinner Leach took part in an extended bowling session.

They remain eligible to play some part today, but England have been cautious thus far and will only allow them to feature if they are deemed both ready and noncontagious.