Legend hits back at criticism of 'iconic' Sydney Test

1 year ago 73

As Sydney had different day's cricket astatine the SCG washed retired by incessant rain, stranding section lad Usman Khawaja connected 195, calls were erstwhile again made to determination the New Years' Test interstate.

Sydney is acold and distant the astir weather-affected Test lucifer of the Australian summer.

In 110 Tests held astatine the venue, 26 days person been wholly washed retired - much than each different Australian venues combined.

Melbourne has had 9 days lost, Brisbane eight, Adelaide 2 and Hobart one. Perth has ne'er mislaid a full time successful its 47 Tests.

Former Test skipper Mark Taylor believes the periphery of the Sydney Test - including Jane McGrath time and its long-standing presumption arsenic the last Test of the summertime - mean moving it would beryllium akin to moving the Boxing Day from the MCG.

"The New Year's Test is an iconic event. Yes, we've had immoderate evidently immoderate rainfall successful the past fewer years but I wouldn't beryllium getting carried distant with each this speech astir the doomsday of Sydney tests," helium told Wide World of Sports conscionable earlier stumps was called aboriginal connected time three.

"Hopefully implicit the adjacent 2 days, we inactive mightiness get a effect and spot a bully trial match."

Many connected societal media were calling for the Sydney Test to beryllium moved earlier successful the summertime - perchance to unfastened the summertime successful spot of Brisbane.

But Weatherzone information shows moving the trial would hardly marque a quality - astatine slightest statistically - to the accidental of the lucifer being weather-affected.

Their information shows the slightest apt time for rainfall successful a Sydney summertime is simply a necktie betwixt December 22 and December 29.

December 29 is time 4 of the Boxing Day trial successful Melbourne, portion the 22nd is excessively adjacent to Christmas.

Weatherzone said statistically the driest five-day agelong is betwixt December 19 and 23.

But each this is marginal - the aforesaid information shows the probability of rainfall connected immoderate time done December is successful the mid-30 per cent range, portion January is lone successful the high-30 per cent range.

Taylor said the SCG was besides well-suited arsenic the New Years' Test. He said Australian upwind was besides unpredictable.

"Who's to accidental if you decided to (move the Test) adjacent year, that you (don't) determination it consecutive into a venue that happens to get atrocious upwind astir that time, and past Sydney's arsenic adust arsenic a occurrence shovel," helium said.

"So you spot your Test matches connected wherever you think's going to beryllium the champion for the crippled of cricket, and the New Year's trial lucifer is precise good suited to the SCG.

"You can't spell moving games of cricket astir Australia based connected a mates of upwind events present successful Sydney, evidently with the McGrath Foundation and Jane McGrath time … I would surely not similar to spot it moved."

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