Shane Warne's campaign to move Sydney cricket Test set to gain momentum

The late Shane Warne's campaign to move the Sydney Test away from its early January timeslot due to inclement weather is set to gain further momentum, with next week's third Test against Pakistan under threat of rain. The SCG has proved a rain magnet for the best part of a decade, with six of the past seven Tests hit by weather delays and four games finishing in draws.

Last year, day three of the Pink Test was a complete washout, adding to Sydney's grim statistic as a place where you're more like to see ducks on the ground than on the scoreboard. Twenty-six days of Test cricket have been washed out at the SCG, ranking it well ahead of any other Australian venue.

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After rain interrupted the fourth Ashes Test in 2022, Warne called for the Sydney Test to be played at the start of summer instead of its early January timeslot. "It’s better weather then than it is in the first week of January,” the leg-spinning great said.

"It just seems to always rain in the Test match. It’s such a beautiful venue, such a beautiful city that imagine if the tourists, and any opposition team, came here to Sydney and had 10 days on the harbour and loosening up, getting ready and then play the first Test in Sydney rather than the fourth Test always in the New Year. Maybe it’s time for a change. Maybe Brisbane could be the New Year Test match and Sydney could be the first one."

Sydney Test under threat due to predicted wet weather

The forecast for the first three days of the dead rubber Test against Pakistan, starting Wednesday, makes for concerning reading. There is a 50 per cent chance of rain on day one, rising to 70 per cent on day two and 80 per cent on day three.

Ground staff are set for a busy time but are confident there will be enough dry spells to ensure the match is not greatly impacted by weather, although the Bureau of Meteorology is hedging its bets. A spokesperson told Yahoo Sport Australia: "During periods of unsettled weather there is larger uncertainty in the forecast so we will likely see a change in the forecast over the coming days."

With India and England set to tour over the next two summers, calls to move the Sydney Test from early January will surely fall on deaf ears. "While there is some merit to considering a drier time in summer or late-spring for the Sydney Test, observations show that changing the date would not significantly increase the likelihood of dry weather," a Weatherzone.com.au spokesperson said.

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