Australia vs New Zealand: Players to wear black armbands to honour bushfire victims in Sydney

Australia and New Zealand are set to pay tribute to the ones, who lost their lives in the bushfire smoke in Sydney. The players from both the sides will be seen, wearing black arm-bands during the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting Friday, January 3. During the pre-match ceremony in Sydney, the emergency services personnel will also be honoured.

Cricket Australia (CA) has also announced that the ODIs between the Trans-Tasman rivals at the SCG in March will involve fundraising for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. 12 days ago, Canberra, 250 km south-west of Sydney, was a witness to the tragic smoke. The BBL game between Sydney Thunder and the Adelaide Strikers was called off.

Cricket Australia pushing for SCG Test

“It’s a growing issue that we’re seeing around the country, certainly Sydney and Canberra mainly,” Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations, was quoted as saying in cricket.com.au. The fires continue to terrorise New South Wales, including the outskirts of Sydney.

Despite the hazardous atmosphere, CA is pushing for the Sydney Test, which could well see a delay. The Aussies have also taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with victories in Perth and Melbourne.

“Like rain, the rules are in place to add time, to suspend play (for Tests). But what we’re finding is it comes in quick but also goes quick. It’s unlikely, we believe, it’ll be there for a full day. We might see some challenges across that day, but we’ll play it like rain or adverse weather. Time can be added on,” Roach added.

Peter Siddle, who retired from international cricket a few days ago, described the atmosphere on the field at the Manuka Oval in Canberra similar to a campfire. “If you sit next to a campfire, just imagine that, that’s what it felt like out on the field,” Adelaide Strikers’ Siddle said.

During the contest, the ACT Health’s Air Quality increased to as much as 1300 while the ICC’s guideline suggests an average reading of 300. Despite the abandoned game in Canberra, three games in the T20 tournament have taken place in Sydney.