Cricket Australia Addresses Brief Power Outage at Adelaide Oval During Test Match

Adelaide, Dec 7 (NationPress) After the first day of the pink-ball Test match between Australia and India at the renowned Adelaide Oval, the event was interrupted twice due to a rare floodlight malfunction. Cricket Australia released a statement explaining that the issue was due to a “switching issue”.

The newly installed LED lighting system, which was put in place in late 2023 at an expense exceeding $5 million, failed not once, but twice, leaving the crowd of 50,186, players, and commentators in utter disbelief.

In response to the situation, Cricket Australia acknowledged the problem, stating: “We had a brief internal switching issue that was quickly identified and rectified.”

Initially perceived as a technical fault, the light failure was later attributed to human error. Reports from The Age indicated that the incident originated from a request by the Australian team to activate the net lights for an evening training session. While facing a disciplined Indian bowling lineup, ground staff mistakenly switched off the stadium’s four primary light towers instead of turning on the net lights.

The first disruption occurred during the 18th over of Australia’s innings, resulting in a 25-second pause. However, shortly after play resumed, the error recurred, leading to a prolonged break of 86 seconds. This double occurrence left players visibly frustrated and commentators questioning the effectiveness of the newly implemented lighting system.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, bowler Harshit Rana, and Australian batsmen Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne were among those awaiting action during the unexpected blackout. The second incident, which happened soon after the first, further complicated matters, leaving players and fans in a state of uncertainty for over a minute.

The confusion within the ground control room, situated atop the Western Stand, was underscored by sources who revealed that when the computerized light settings were modified to activate the net lights for a throwdown session, the stadium lights inadvertently turned off instead. “They went out to turn on the net lights so the night watchman could have a couple of throwdowns, and somehow either turned them to the wrong thing or something tripped,” disclosed an insider.

The light failure quickly became a hot topic in the commentary box, with former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh and Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle exchanging witty remarks.

“Oh hello. They’ve run out of electricity in Adelaide. Pretty hot today. Plenty of air conditioners on,” Waugh quipped on Fox Cricket. Bhogle added, “Someone’s fallen asleep, so we have to wait. It’s a first for me, a Test match being stopped because the lights are gone. Is anyone there?”

Waugh promptly replied, “I don’t think I’ve seen this in Australia.”

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who previously delivered a remarkable performance by taking six wickets, also commented on the unusual situation. “It was quite unusual for it to go out twice in a short space of time,” Starc stated after the day’s play concluded.

Meanwhile, South Australian Labor MP Tom Koutsantonis took to social media to clarify that the incident was not due to a power supply issue from the state grid. “Whatever caused the light towers at Adelaide Oval to turn off was not related to a lack of power supply from the grid,” he tweeted, contributing to the discussion surrounding the incident.

Adelaide Oval has a rich history regarding its lighting systems. The venue first introduced retractable lights in the 1990s before upgrading to permanent floodlights in 2000. These systems were further enhanced in 2014, and the latest LED lighting system was installed in December 2023 to offer a more energy-efficient solution.