The floodlights at the Adelaide Oval, hosting the pink-ball Test between Australia and India, went off twice in an over on day one, and the reason is nothing short of bizarre.
The Australian team requested the authorities to switch on the lights in the nets for practice while he home team battled Jasprit Bumrah & Co in their first innings after bowling the visitors out for just 180 on the first afternoon, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
ALSO WATCH
The report said: "When the computer-operated light settings were adjusted, the ground’s four light towers went out instead, stunning a crowd of 50,186 and leading to conspiracy theories about South Australia’s reliance on renewable energy for electricity."
The two short delays lasted twice in one over -- first for 28 seconds and then 86 seconds.
State Labor MP Tom Koutsantonis wrote on social media: "I can confirm there was no lack of power supply or availability in South Australia." Whatever caused the light towers at Adelaide Oval to turn off was not related to a lack of power supply from the Grid."
Things were back to normal soon as the computer settings were put in order to have lights in the ground as well as the nets working simultaneously.
Speaking on Seven, former elite umpire Simon Taufel said, "Very frustrating for the umpires and the players. They will be having their concentration and routines broken like everyone else and having to refocus and get back on the job as quickly as possible."
"We had a brief internal switching issue that was quickly identified and rectified," read a statement from Adelaide Oval's Stadium Management authority.
The new LED lights were installed at the Adelaide Oval in December 2023 at a cost of $5 million.
