An unsafe outfield forced the abandonment of the second One-Day International between New Zealand and Australia without a ball being bowled Thursday. Rain during the morning had left the McLean Park outfield sodden and play was delayed by almost five hours before the game was officially called off at 1845 (0445 GMT). The decision was met with resigned frustration from the large crowd, who had sat patiently for hours hoping to see some action, particularly since the rain had actually stopped about 15 minutes before the scheduled start of play at 1400. Ground staff had removed the covers from the square about an hour later and begun preparing the surface while the players started warming up with a 37-over game scheduled to begin at 1645. However, the warm-ups caused water to seep to the surface, with Australia captain Aaron Finch unearthing a large divot with minimal effort, forcing umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Chris Brown to deem conditions still unsuitable for play. "I thought when we turned up, it was obviously a bit soggy and a bit wet, but I thought we'd get a game in at some point," Finch told reporters. "It felt like it improved... but once we started warming up it was pretty clear that there was quite a few soggy and damp patches that were a bit unsafe, and unfortunately over the next about three hours they just didn't improve at all." Match officials made two further inspections throughout the afternoon and the large crowd became increasingly restless and broke into an ironic slow handclap with cries of "hurry up". A final inspection was made at 1830 and the decision to abandon the contest was confirmed 15 minutes later. "The umpires are the sole judges of whether the ground is fit for play. But both players and management were fully supportive of the decision," New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. "We were given a start time which was a bit on the keen side because there was still casual water around the outfield. "(But) annoyed, frustrated yeah that probably sums it up." The third and final match of the series is at Seddon Park in Hamilton Sunday. New Zealand holds a 1-0 lead after winning the first game in Auckland Monday by six runs. Kiwis launch urgent inquiry New Zealand cricket (NZC) and local authorities have agreed to an urgent inquiry to determine why the second One-Day international between the host and Australia was abandoned Thursday without a ball being bowled. NZC chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said they had agreed with the ground owners, the Napier City Council, to begin an independent inquiry as soon as possible as to why the field did not drain effectively. "It's too early to say what happened," Crummy said. "We did have some rain today but not enough to have the game being abandoned. So we really need to have a look at what has happened. "We have spoken to council and they have reassured us there will be a full independent review." Council chief executive Wayne Jack said he considered the review to be an "urgent" matter and would meet with NZC to start proceedings Friday. The ground is due to host another ODI against South Africa on March 1. Crummy said it was too early to say whether that fixture was in doubt. "Our number one priority is making sure that that game can go ahead without interruption," Crummy added. "Again, we just have to find out what has happened and what steps need to take place that it doesn't happen again." Napier mayor Bill Dalton, while disappointed with the outcome, said he believed there was no issue with the drainage and stood by long-term groundsman Phil Stoyanoff. "The general feeling amongst the public is that they couldn't understand why play didn't commence. But I'm not an umpire, or a cricketer and can't make those calls." Crummy said all general admission ticket holders would receive a full refund. He said "about six-seven thousand" tickets had been sold but did not discuss how much money NZC would need to pay out, or their insurance arrangements. — Reuters
