Dangerous pitch mars one-dayer in Sydney

A dangerous pitch at North Sydney Oval has led to the abandonment of a one-day clash between NSW and Victoria, with the visitors being awarded the win.

The battle for finals spots in the domestic one-day cricket competition has descended into high farce after a fixture at North Sydney Oval was abandoned mid-chase.

A dangerous pitch led to Victoria defeating NSW on Sunday via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, usually reserved for rain-affected matches.

Cricket Australia (CA) officials discussed the issue for more than 90 minutes following the match before ruling Victoria would be awarded a run-rate bonus point.

That verdict ended NSW's finals hopes and all but ensured Victoria will join Western Australia and South Australia in the finals.

The visitors reached 4-108 after 26 overs in their pursuit of 145 when umpires called the game off.

"That is a ridiculous decision and the umps should be held accountable," Cricket NSW chief executive Andrew Jones posted on Twitter.

"So pitch was safe when @CricketNSWBlues batted? Makes no sense. All officials involved should be fired immediately.

"It should be a No Result. Conditions didn't change all game so if it was dangerous for one side it was dangerous for the other."

The absurd finish, which came following a bouncer-laden over from Sean Abbott, was greeted by a chorus of boos from the crowd.

It is unclear if the venue will host Tuesday's fixture between Western Australia and the CA XI as planned.

CA will be desperate to avoid similar scenes in the inaugural women's day-night Test that is slated to be held at North Sydney next month.

Test pacemen Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who snared three wickets, Abbott, and Doug Bollinger all troubled batsmen with their bounce on the unsafe deck.

Earlier, schoolboy Will Sutherland helped Victoria skittle the one-day title holders for 144 in 42.2 overs.

The son of CA chief executive James Sutherland, who was touted as a first-round AFL draft pick before opting to focus on the summer sport this year, claimed figures of 4-11.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world