Sydneysiders love their sun and surf, but when it comes to cricket, the city’s reputation is taking a battering.
Rain has become a familiar foe at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), and the upcoming Test against Pakistan starting this Wednesday looks set to be another soggy affair.
While Wednesday’s forecast offers a sliver of hope with near 30-degree temperatures and only a slight chance of rain, Thursday’s outlook is grim. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a 70% chance of showers, potentially marking the seventh rain-interrupted Test out of the last eight at the SCG.
This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a growing concern for Australian cricket. The SCG leads the pack when it comes to washed-out Test days, with a whopping 26 compared to the MCG’s nine and the Gabba’s eight.
But there’s a glimmer of hope amidst the drizzle. The expected rain is predicted to be light, unlike the 2016 New Year’s Test where only 11 overs were bowled across three days. Still, the threat of a damp squib is enough to reignite calls for a change.
Some suggest moving the Sydney Test earlier in the summer, as the late Australian cricket legend Shane Warne proposed in 2022. “It’s better weather then,” Warne argued, “and imagine tourists enjoying the harbour before the Test.”
Others propose shifting the New Year’s Test to Brisbane, leaving Sydney to host the first Test. Both options have their merits, but one thing’s clear: Sydney’s rain-soaked Test streak is no laughing matter.
Whether the skies open up or stay mercifully dry for the upcoming Pakistan clash remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, the debate about Sydney’s rain-prone New Year’s Test is far from over. Will this be the year we finally see a full five days of sunshine and cricket at the SCG? Only time, and the weather gods, will tell.