Bushfire Cricket Bash In Sydney Called Off Due To Weather Forecast

In an unfortunate turn of events, Cricket Australia, on Wednesday, confirmed that the much-awaited Bushfire Cricket Bash charity game will not go ahead at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCB) on Saturday (February 8). Fans’ hopes of seeing the stars of yesteryear playing on the field once again has been dashed by weather forecasts as Sydney braces for torrential rain this weekend.

The game was being played in order to help the victims of the bushfire that has ravaged large part of Australia. It was set to act as the curtain-raiser for the final of the ongoing Big Bash League. There were also going to be fundraising initiatives during the match and all money raised would have gone to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

However, the weather forecast has compelled Cricket Australia to change their plans.  The decision has been made in order to give the BBL Final the best chance to go ahead as scheduled in front of a packed house at the SCG. The cricket board is set to explore alternative options for the charity match now that it’s unable to be played as a curtain-raiser to the BBL decider between the Sydney Sixers and the winner of Thursday’s match between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder in Melbourne.

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The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting 30 to 50mm of rain on Saturday, wet weather conditions which had TV broadcasters pushing for both the charity match and the BBL Final to be moved to the MCG, according to a report from News Corp.

But with the risk of rain damaging the pitch, the same pitch as the BBL Final, and the outfield during the Bushfire Cricket Bash, Cricket Australia has decided to move the charity match to ensure the best conditions are possible for the tournament final.

The charity match was going to be a ten-over per side contest. Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were set to captain the two sides with Indian legend Yuvraj Singh also being a part of the game. Legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Courtney Walsh were also named as the coach of both teams.

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