Time to introduce cricket smoke meter readings, say Alex Carey and Callum Ferguson after Big Bash abandonment
Callum Ferguson and Alex Carey have called for the introduction of smoke meters after two players received medical treatment following Saturday night’s BBL game between the Strikers and Thunder.
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Alex Carey and Callum Ferguson have called on Cricket Australia to introduce a smoke meter following the abandoned Adelaide Strikers-Sydney Thunder BBL clash in Canberra on Saturday night.
Revealing Strikers Peter Siddle (ill) and Cam Valente (asthma) were treated by team medical staff after the game, Carey and Ferguson said it was time CA drew a line in the sand to deal with increasing smoke issues caused by bushfires which have swept the country.
“Now that we’ve seen what can happen we’ve got to be prepared for everything,’’ said stand-in Strikers captain Carey after returning to Adelaide following the team’s BBL09 opener, which was called off with the Thunder 1/40 after 4.2 overs in pursuit of 5/161.
“Unfortunately there are bushfires burning around the country and as a player there is a bigger picture than just cricket, we’ve got to make sure everyone is safe.
“We’ve got light meters, we’ve got rain (gauges) and now we’ve got this new issue to deal with, so it’s something that needs to be looked at because as players we felt unhealthy out there and that the conditions were pretty unsafe.
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“That’s for players, staff, umpires and the crowd because it was foggy and the air quality didn’t taste too good.’’
Carey's Redbacks teammate Ferguson, who captains the Thunder, described conditions at Manuka Oval as “pungent’’.
“When that smoke came in it really was pungent, it would tickle the back of your throat,’’ he said.
“When I got back to Sydney I had a shower and I could smell the smoke in my hair.
“It was like I’d been sitting in a bonfire all night.
“That was just from being out in the open air in Canberra and it explains how thick the smoke was.
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“Your clothes smell afterwards and when the smoke came in it was really thick and like nothing I’d ever seen.
“So, I worry about the way we are rating the air quality and whether we need to really sit down and nail down what is okay and what's not.
“Speaking to (Thunder teammate) Usman Khawaja, they played a whole day of Shield cricket (for NSW in Sydney) a week-and-a-half ago in conditions he said were far worse than what we experienced on Saturday night.
“So, we really do need to sit down and have a calculated look at exactly what is okay to play in and what’s not because after that Shield game ‘Ussie’ said he was having headaches and mild dizzy spells for two-to-three days after.
“Everyone’s safety needs to be at the core of all this, we have to have clear guidelines.
“At the moment there are a lot of grey areas, but we need black and white when it comes to these conditions.’’
The smoke came in so quickly on Saturday night that the match was called off – for visibility reasons – two balls into the Thunder’s fifth over, resulting in a draw and giving both sides one point.
Five second innings overs constitutes a match and the Thunder was ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis system.
Both captains agreed the right decision was made to call the match when the umpires did, despite Ferguson’s initial annoyance.
However, Fergsuon said rather than wait another 45 minutes to abandon the game – the umpires were initially waiting for smoke to clear – a final call should have been made immediately for the welfare of spectators.
“One of my concerns was that the fans hung around because they wanted to see a result,’’ he told FIVEaa, adding he hoped next month’s Sydney Test match wouldn’t be affected by bushfires.
“A lot of adults and children were waiting around hoping the game might resume, but when smoke comes in like that the game should be abandoned straight away so that people aren’t exposing themselves to that air.’’