Replacing an int'l venue with folklore "as rich as the WACA left a 60,000-seat concrete jungle vulnerable to being a bit of a letdown," according to Daniel Cherny of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. But "early impressions" suggest this will not be the case, with Optus Stadium comparing favorably to the "dated WACA and Subiaco Oval." The pitch had an "odd look to it." It was grassy, "but rather than a green tinge it had green lines, running down the pitch like veins." The new ground "has a uniformity to it." There are not light towers at Optus Stadium, "with light instead coming from 15,000 LED lights atop the roof." They "flashed impressively to mark boundaries and wickets, something like a strobe light at a disco," and that experience "will be amplified" come the Australian Football League season, when games are regularly held there at night. Inevitably "there were going to be some slight teething problems." The odd lift was not working, "while there was a somewhat frustrating lack of power points in the press box." There were "fears getting to the venue was going to be an issue." But the taxi drop-off area was "very orderly on Sunday, while train and bus transport is extremely close to the stadium and seemed to work well" (SMH, 1/28).
SEMIFINAL SELLOUT: Cricket Australia announced the Big Bash League and Women's Big Bash League semifinals scheduled for Thursday are sold out. Tickets were purchased in just more than 24 hours. Despite local demand, a limited number of tickets remain on hold for members of the Perth Scorchers' BBL opponent and members of both WBBL teams in the semifinals (CA).
