It’s time to move the New Year’s cricket Test to Adelaide, says SA sporting and media great Ken Cunningham

A South Australian sporting great and media legend says it is time to move the New Year’s cricket Test to Adelaide or risk making ‘a mockery of the Test match’.

South Australian sporting great and media legend Ken Cunningham is advocating for the New Year Test to be shifted to Adelaide, due to Sydney’s bad weather. Picture James Elsby

It’s time for the New Year’s cricket Test to move from Sydney to Adelaide or risk making “a mockery of the Test match”, says South Australian sporting great and media legend Ken Cunningham.

The first class cricketer and former football umpire known universally as “KG” – who the Adelaide Oval media centre is now named after – says an early finish after just a session and a half on Wednesday due to persistent rain and bad light ought to be the last straw.

“It is time to bring the New Year’s Test to Adelaide? Of course it is … it always has been,” he said.

“This is the ideal place for it, without doubt and it is something I have been saying for yonks and will continue to say.

“Adelaide’s Test match is an event, with the village greens, the surroundings at Memorial Drive, the facilities we have here … and the weather.”

However, earlier this week Venues NSW chairman David Gallop declared the event would not move from his home state.

“The New Year’s Test belongs in Sydney and it belongs at the SCG … just as the Boxing Day Test belongs in Melbourne and at the MCG,” he said.

Cunningham disagreed.

Australia captain Pat Cummins signs autographs as rain stops play during day two of the New Year’s Test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

“This is the ideal place for a New Year’s Day Test and Sydney can find another date, during a time of year when there isn’t so much rain,” he said.

“If (Cricket Australia) have any brains they’ll surely strongly think about it … it is ridiculous to have so many years of rain and bad light in Sydney.

“It just makes a mockery of the Test match.”

Adelaide last summer unsuccessfully pitched to host the New Year’s men’s Test for up to seven years, in a bid to take the fixture from Sydney backed by millions of state government funding.

Premier Peter Malinauskas attacked Cricket Australia last week calling the scheduling of Adelaide’s annual cricket Test, as “disgraceful” – which will this year be played against the West Indies on Wednesday, January 17.

“We love our sport but fair’s fair … the fact that we get West Indies two summers in a row is frankly disgraceful, particularly given the deliberate decision to schedule Australia versus Pakistan, in Perth straight up over and above Adelaide,” he told the Advertiser, referencing the poor attendance figures in the west of just 59,125 people across four days.

Local sporting legend Mick Weatherald’s preference is a return to the traditional Australia Day Test in Adelaide. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

In contrast, the Adelaide day-night Test against the West Indies in December, 2022, drew 86,617 across three and a bit days.

SACA is pushing for a pre-Christmas Test.

“We love Test cricket in South Australia and the numbers speak for themselves when it comes to attendance, weather, pitch quality and so much more,” president Will Rayner said.

“SACA members are the most passionate cricket fans in the world and deserve the best scheduling possible as reward for their continued support of our great game.”

Meanwhile local sporting legend Mick Weatherald, a life member of both Sturt District Cricket and Football clubs, said his preference was to return to a traditional Australia Day Test in Adelaide, allowing farmers time to finish the grain harvest and attend, providing an annual reunion of country and city cricket fans.