Cricket Australia is conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances which brought Victoria’s JLT One-Day Cup clash with NSW to an early finish on Sunday night, the game was bizarrely abandoned and decided by the Duckworth-Lewis system two-thirds of the way through the Bushrangers’ chase.
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With Victoria 4-106 through 26 overs in reply to NSW’s 144 at North Sydney Oval, umpires came together and after several minutes of discussion decided to abandon the remainder of the game after deeming the wicket dangerous.
"The umpires decided, as in JLT Rule 2.7.2, that conditions were dangerous and there was an actual and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player participating in the match," a Cricket Australia spokesperson explained.
The decision handed Victoria a bonus point win, a result which ends the Blues’ quest for a third straight limited overs title and will have a big impact on the competition’s final standings too.
Former Kinross and now-Victorian quick Chris Tremain, who snared 2-48 on Sunday, explained there was plenty of life in the drop-in wicket, but still said the way the game ended was “disappointing”.
“It was disappointing I guess, we were in control but obviously NSW would’ve liked the chance to try and come back into it. You never know what can happen in those late stages,” he said.
“It was just one patch of the wicket really, which was jumpy. I actually hit that spot with both of the balls I took wickets with. I’m pretty sure all the players were happy to play on, but I also don’t know how long the umpires had been discussing the decision.
“It was quite slow off that patch when we were bowling, but I think as the due came in and after it was rolled again it might’ve sped up a bit. We can’t do anything about it now obviously, it was a bit of a strange way to finish though.”
The umpires had, in fact, raised concerns with the wicket during NSW’s innings and had discussed calling the game during the interval.
"According to the match referee across the day, there were around 10-15 balls that jumped off a length, while others were keeping lower than expected," Cricket Australia’s spokesperson explained.
"In the last three overs of the match, four or five balls jumped dangerously, including the last two balls of the 26th over.
"On coming together the umpires and match referee decided that the conditions were dangerous. That is, that there was actual and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player."
Cricket NSW chief executive Andrew Jones pulled no punches after the game, taking to Twitter to vent his frustration.
"(Bushrangers) well ahead in the game but it should have been played to a conclusion," he wrote.
"The drop in wicket was up and down all day.
"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 result means South Australia and Western Australia are now guaranteed a top-three finish while Tremain’s Victorians sit third.
Mathematically the final order of the top three spots will be finalised after the Cricket Australia XI v WA match on Tuesday, at the same ground.
Tremain said while he’s hoping the Vics make the finals, he’s also begun preparations for his Melbourne Renegades’ Big Bash League campaign.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
