SYDNEY, Feb 7: A week of heavy rain has threatened to force the cancellation of Friday’s second one-day cricket final between South Africa and New Zealand.
South Africa won the first game of the best-of-three finals series in Melbourne Wednesday but the second match, scheduled for the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), remains in doubt because of bad weather.
More than 300 millimetres of rain has been dumped on Sydney since Monday and more thunderstorms are forecast for Friday.
“We need the rain to stop, we need that terribly,” SCG curator Tom Parker told reporters Thursday.
The SCG centre wicket has been kept dry after being covered by a giant plastic marquee but groundstaff need the rain to stop by Friday morning if the match is to proceed, although a shortened match could still go ahead if the rain stops later in the day.
If Friday’s match is abandoned, a “third” match would be played in Sydney Sunday.
South Africa could not lose the series but New Zealand could force a draw by winning the “third” match. But if that match was also washed out South Africa would be awarded the series, 1-0.
Thousands of Australian cricket fans who bought advance tickets in the expectation that Steve Waugh’s team would be playing in the finals are desperately hoping both matches are called off so they can get a refund.
If the matches are washed out, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) will have to refund the cost of admission to all ticket holders but if either game goes ahead, there will be no refunds.
Only 20,000 people, about a fifth of the ground’s capacity, attended Wednesday’s first final in Melbourne and there is a similar lack of interest in Sydney.
Dozens of anxious ticket holders, not wanting to take any chances, have been trying to offload their tickets through the trading sections of Sydney’s local newspapers, offering them at discount rates.
Australia have only missed out on the finals in their annual one-day tournament three times in 23 years and tickets for SCG match, which has a capacity of just 40,000, usually sell out months in advance.
The national television network that broadcasts cricket in Australia has also been caught out, announcing Thursday that if Sunday’s match does go ahead, it will be switched from a day-night match to a day game because of fears it would be a ratings disaster.
With Australia out of the competition, the ACB agreed to change the timing of the match so the local network could screen an action film against a rival station’s coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Meanwhile, New Zealand fast bowler Dion Nash has been ruled out of the second one-day final because of injury.
Nash suffered an abdominal strain batting during Wednesday’s match in Melbourne.
With all-rounder Chris Cairns struggling for fitness, the New Zealand selectors have decided to delay the naming of their team until the day of the match.—Reuters