Cricket NSW is "refusing to play" this Saturday’s Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground and officials will carry out inspections before the New Year's Test match "as the row over conditions at the historic venue reaches crisis point," according to Peter Lalor of THE AUSTRALIAN. Plans to move the game against Tasmania after this week’s Shield match against Victoria were "abandoned because the surface was considered unsafe for play." The SCG Trust "continues to deny there is a problem" and on Monday said that it "considered the ground fit for cricket." That was "not the view" of Victorian players, the umpires, the match referee or Cricket Australia Head of Cricket Operations Sean Cary (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/10). In Sydney, Tom Decent reported Victoria has been awarded six points for the "rain-affected clash" because, according to Cary, NSW is the tenant of the ground and the SCG curators prepared a field "not fit for first-class cricket." Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones said that he had been advised by the SCG Trust, which administers the ground, that "the problematic ground would be resurfaced." An SCG Trust spokesperson said the work on the ground would be minor and in a statement said, "The SCG remains ready to host cricket at the highest level." Jones and Cary "were hopeful cricket would return to the iconic ground as soon as possible," but Jones said that the change of venue was done so there would be "no recurrence of what unfolded over the weekend, while 34.2 overs were bowled across three days" (SMH, 11/9).
