A brief blackout due to floodlight failure occurred on the first day of the pink-ball Test match between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval, causing an unexpected disturbance. In a subsequent statement, Cricket Australia (CA) claimed that an internal switching problem was to blame for the occurrence.
Twice on the first day of play, the floodlights failed, momentarily halting the action. Australia’s innings saw two interruptions, the first lasting 28 seconds during the 18th over and the second lasting 86 seconds. Players, commentators, and spectators were taken aback by the abrupt halt. The stadium was dark, but fans turned on their phone torches, creating a light show.
The lights went out twice in quick succession at Adelaide Oval, but play has resumed. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/u6Jtd39Utc
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 6, 2024
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Australia team had asked for net lights to be turned on for a training session in the evening.
But instead, the stadium’s four major light towers were inadvertently turned off due to a mix-up in the control room at the top of the Western Stand.
“We experienced a brief internal switching problem that was promptly found and fixed. In order to give the night watchman a few throwdowns, they walked outside to switch on the net lights. However, they either turned them on the incorrect way or something tripped,” a statement from Cricket Australia stated.
The fact that it goes out twice is rather unusual: Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc, an Australian pacer who previously made news with a six-wicket haul, talked about how uncommon such an event is.
After the performance ended for the day, Starc remarked, “It was pretty unusual for it to go out twice in a short space of time.”
MP Tom Koutsantonis of South Australia explained that the incident was solely a control room error and had nothing to do with the state’s electrical infrastructure. He tweeted, “The reason the light towers at Adelaide Oval went out had nothing to do with the grid’s power supply.”
The recently built AUD 5 million LED lighting system at Adelaide Oval was modified in late 2023 to guarantee energy efficiency and a faster restart in the event of an interruption. Fortunately, unlike past systems that would have resulted in lengthy delays, this modern approach allowed play to restart quickly.
India
