McGrath Foundation pays tribute to fire victims

Since 2005, the traditional new year Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground has stood as an increasingly powerful symbol of the inherent good that high-level sport can bring to the communities that sustain it.

But this year, the famous 'pink Test' that raises funds and awareness for the McGrath Foundation which provides support to families and individuals affected by breast cancer will carry a direct and tangible connection to the causes it so laudably honours.

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For in addition to helping to raise a projected $1.6 million for the McGrath Foundation, the third Domain Test between Australia and New Zealand will recognise the ongoing bushfire crisis engulfing the nation which might also feasibly dictate when and how the game is played.

The ominous pall of smoke that has settled over Sydney for the past few weeks is expected to worsen over the coming weekend as weather conditions on the eastern seaboard once again turn extreme, and there exists a very real prospect of play being interrupted or suspended due to poor air quality.

Any such decision will be made by ICC match referee Sir Richie Richardson in consultation with on-field umpires, and with input from Cricket Australia whose responsibility extends to staff and supporters within the stadium and its immediate precinct.

While adjudication on the suitability for play to continue will be informed by air quality index readings taken near the SCG, the most compelling evidence will come from the level of visibility to the naked eye.

And once play is halted because of the potential health hazards of smoke and the dangers posed by reduced visibility, it will not resume until those conditions have demonstrably changed in the same way that rain delays are dealt with under current playing regulations. As both teams trained at the SCG on Thursday, that air quality reading hovered around 75 while in areas along the New South Wales south coast most heavily impacted by fires in recent days, the reading peaked at close to 600. It is understood that readings of around 300 at the SCG will heighten the likelihood of play being suspended, but that decision will not be based solely on data provided by the NSW Government's air quality index. "We won't be putting the players' health at risk, nor will be putting the health of match officials or fans at the match, or our own people, our own employees, at risk," Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said today. "That's something we'll be monitoring consistently throughout the five days' play. Swepson still in line for Test debut at SCG "It's a day-by day-proposition, as those people affected by bushfire know better than I. "It is complex and I think like many things in life, like many things in sport, we work with experts and good judgment is going to be required. "This is quite a unique situation, but we're as confident as we can be that we've got the right expertise around us, and that good judgment will be exercised and the safety of everyone at this great ground will be put first." There have been previous instances of cricket matches being interrupted due to poor air quality, most notably in India's heavily polluted capital Delhi and most recently a KFC Big Bash League match in Canberra that was prematurely ended due to bushfire smoke last month. To acknowledge the lives lost during the ongoing fire crisis, players from both teams will wear black armbands and the game will be preceded by a minute's applause as a sign of thanks for the army of firefighters (mostly volunteers) working around the clock to protect people, animals and properties. QUICK SINGLE Test combatants to honour bushfire victims in Sydney But in addition to the symbolic gestures of pink clothing and embellishments along with the public recognition of the heartbreak and heroism playing out around the country, the Test will be tinged by the very real smell of smoke and the constant reminder of wider suffering that it carries. As Australia captain Tim Paine noted, it only serves to heighten awareness among players of the role they can play in uniting and inspiring communities through acts as comparatively inconsequential as playing cricket. "I think the way we look at it is it might be an opportunity for us to provide a distraction for people, and a bit of happiness if we can by playing a brand of cricket that Australians are proud of," Paine said after his team completed preparations at the SCG today. "At times for us, it's important to look outside the bubble that we live in as international cricketers. "The events that are going on around the country at the moment are a real eye-opener for us. Williamson and co still under cloud: Latham "We speak about being humble and showing some humility, so our thoughts certainly go out to the people that have been affected by it. "It's got worse again overnight, and the firefighters have been the real heroes of this summer. "They're taking on some extreme risk and putting themselves in some pretty ordinary situations. "We certainly thank them on behalf of our team and our wishes are with people currently affected." If hard evidence was needed of the direct benefits that events such as the pink Test can yield, it was succinctly provided by former Test fast bowler Glenn McGrath who oversees the McGrath Foundation in honour and memory of his late wife, Jane. Since the new year Test first went pink, in conjunction with Cricket Australia and the SCG Trust, the Foundation has funded the placement of 135 breast care nurses who have provided support to 75,000 families dealing with the impact of breast cancer. Around 75 per cent of those nurses are in rural and regional Australia, the same communities now being hardest hit by drought and bushfires. QUICK SINGLE Langer's view now clear despite Sydney smoke If the McGrath Foundation meets its 2020 Test match target of $1.6 million raised, that will fund a further 12 breast care nurses for 12 months which McGrath acknowledged was just 10 per cent of the current requirement for those healthcare professionals. Fundraising for the bushfire relief and recovery effort will be conducted at the SCG when the Australia and New Zealand teams reconvene for ODI matches in March, to which those currently involved in the firefighting effort will be admitted free of charge if they're able to attend. "The SCG Test comes and goes in the next few days, but our support for bushfire relief and the work that the (firefighters) are doing, that doesn't come and go," Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Kevin Roberts said today. "We all love the SCG Test, it's one of the greatest events on the international sporting calendar every year. "But the reality is it pales into insignificance when you compare it to the devastation of the bushfires that are raging around the country, when you compare it to the biggest drought in our lifetime, or when you compare it to the many thousands of women around Australia who have lost their lives to breast cancer over the years. "That helps us keep things in perspective."

Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Michael Neser, Mitchell Swepson

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: Australia won by 296 runs in Perth

Second Test: Australia won by 247 runs

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)