By Ollie Lewis for Daily Mail Australia
09:23 10 December 2023, updated 09:27 10 December 2023
- Sunday’s Big Bash League match has been cancelled
- Concerns have been raised about the condition of the stadium
- Ricky Ponting criticized the “ridiculous” scenes.
The Big Bash League match between the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers on Sunday has been canceled due to player safety in Geelong.
Umpires removed players from the field during Perth’s innings after concerns were raised about the state of the wicket.
The condition of the pitch was severely affected by rain spilling over it in the lead-up to the match, and the uneven bounce on the pitch raised alarm bells for the officials inside the pitch.
After a quick pass from Will Sutherland went past Josh Inglis at the crease, cricket legend Ricky Ponting had had enough.
“I will say it: I think that’s a bit ridiculous. We went into this match hoping the wicket would play better than we thought and better than it looked to us, but that’s there,” he said on Channel Seven. He…if this was straight where would he go? Directly under your grill.
Renegades star Aaron Finch said: “I haven’t heard anything the players are saying but they’re obviously interested in how the balls bounce off that wet patch out here.
“It’s that good of a length.” Its length is six to seven meters. There are a few balls going in there. They’re obviously a little worried about that.
“It’s been exploited (by the curators) but it’s just taken some big holes off the surface there as well. You can see the one that Josh Inglis just got there, it’s grabbed the seam and it’s bouncing ridiculously.”
“If that aligns with someone’s body or head, there could be some real issues.”
More to follow.