Caught behind: climate change, extreme heat and the Boxing Day Test
The Melbourne Boxing Day Test may have to be played at night or moved away from Christmas to November or March as the number of extreme heat days rises over coming decades, a new report says. The analysis by the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub says the climate crisis is already disrupting Australian cricket, citing the cancellation of club matches on hot days and the abandonment of a Big Bash game in Canberra after bushfire smoke reduced air quality and visibility. The report, commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, says the impact is expected to grow along with the number of days of extreme heat in Melbourne through the 2020s and beyond.
