Aftershocks force abandonment of Plunket Shield match in Wellington

The Plunket Shield match between Wellington and Central Districts in Wellington has been abandoned after frequent aftershocks, in the wake of an earthquake on late Sunday night, left players sleep-deprived and anxious, New Zealand Cricket said.

The match, originally scheduled to start on Monday, was delayed so that the venue - Basin Reserve - could be checked for structural damage caused by the earthquake. The stadium was assessed as safe by structural engineers and the match was given a go-ahead by local authorities, but NZC decided against it. The city has also seen heavy downpours since the quake.

"Although the Basin Reserve has been assessed as safe by structural engineers, and the match has been given the go-ahead by local authorities, New Zealand Cricket has decided proceeding with the game would be unfair on the players involved," the board said.

Central Districts coach Heinrich Malan said NZC had taken the right decision. "It's been two long days to be fair," Malan told stuff.co.nz. "It's not ideal when people are not able to sleep and things like that. At this stage it's about looking after the welfare and health of the players."

NZC will look at options for re-playing the game over the next week.

The board also said that the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan, set to begin from Thursday at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, and the ODI between the two countries' women's teams, to be played on the same day at the Saxton Oval in Nelson, are expected to go ahead as planned.

The Pakistan women's team was in Christchurch while their men's team was in Nelson when the earthquake - measured at 7.5 on the Richter scale - occurred on Sunday night. Both teams were safe.