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Alice Springs stripped of BBL match due to unfit outfield

A scenic view of Traeger Park Getty Images

Alice Springs has been stripped of its Big Bash match between Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers due to an unfit outfield.

Traeger Park had been set to host the two team's final match of the group stage but the contest will now take place at Adelaide Oval.

Earlier this month the two WBBL matches that were due to be held at the venue - with the Strikers hosting the Scorchers twice in two days - relocated to Albrecht Oval due to the state of the outfield but the men's fixture has been moved out of the town entirely.

"It's disappointing that the match can't be played at Traeger Park given the importance of cricket being able to take this fixture outside of its traditional venues," Peter Roach, Cricket Australia's head of cricket operations, said.

"We have been working closely with Alice Springs Town Council over several weeks to try to improve the condition of the playing field, however the outfield falls short of the standard required for this match and would represent an unacceptable risk to player safety.

"Despite remediation work undertaken in recent weeks, multiple sections of the outfield remain in a sandy condition and the loose footing presents a risk to the welfare of players. Unfortunately, there is very little prospect that this can be rectified by 9 February."

Cricket Australia have been keen to take the BBL out of the main centers with matches staged on the Gold Coast, Moe and Geelong in Victoria and Launceston in Tasmania.